Premier League pair chase African prodigy.
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Manchester United transfer gossip
Manchester United and Chelsea are among the clubs taking notice of the fine form of Lille midfielder Adama Traore, according to French source L’Equipe.
The 20-year-old has just shone for the Mali national side at this summer’s Under-20 World Cup, earning the Golden Ball award as the tournament’s outstanding player as he scored four goals and provided three assists.
A skillful box-to-box player, Traore looks an exciting prospect for the future and has already featured prominently in the Lille first-team in Ligue 1 – a club known for producing some outstanding young players, with Chelsea’s Eden Hazard a notable example from recent years.
If Traore could repeat that success and make a name for himself in the Premier League, then he could go down as a great signing for either United or Chelsea, whom L’Equipe list as big admirers of the player.
It seems unlikely that the Mali starlet would instantly become a regular at either club at the moment given the experienced options both managers can field in that part of the pitch, but United in particular could do with a signing like that for the future, with Michael Carrick now 33 and past his best, while players like Daley Blind and Marouane Fellaini were in and out of the starting lineup last season.
Additional information in the Metro states that Lille are trying to persuade Traore to sign a new contract, with his deal at the moment running until 2019.