Manchester City are reportedly keen on adding 13-year-old Celtic starlet Karamoko Dembele to their academy after he was recently put in the spotlight.
The youngster made the headlines last week after featuring for Celtic’s Under-20s side, which unsurprisingly resulted in significant media coverage given his age.
However, according to The Sun, City have been tracking him for months as part of their recruitment drive to add talented young stars for the future to their academy.
“He has been on the radar for a number of months now. He is very talented,” a City source told The Sun.
“The club is always searching around Europe for another potential star and Dembele is one being looked at.”
Despite certain sections of supporters and media criticising the decision to play such a young player in a big game that would predictably have ensured he attracted significant interest, the report goes on to explain that perhaps there is a theory behind Celtic’s decision.
It’s said that the Scottish giants specifically played Dembele in the match as a way of proving that they have developed his talent, thus protecting them if another club tries to sign him which would in turn then involve a significant compensation pay-out.
While it remains to be seen whether or not Dembele becomes the latest youngster to join the City ranks as the club look to develop talent at a very young age, the attraction of moving to Manchester is evident.
It’s added in the report that City pay school fees for their youngsters which will of course be appealing to parents of prospective players, and so there may well be plenty of work that goes into convincing the 13-year-old and his family that the Etihad is the best place for his future.