Leicester City and Chelsea have shown their interest in U17 World Cup winner David Odogu in this transfer window.
Leicester are on the lookout for a young centre-back to challenge Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard for a spot in Enzo Maresca’s side.
Their ambitions were outlined when they tried to sign one of their transfer targets, despite interest from several European powerhouses.
On New Year’s Day, PSG announced the signing of 20-year-old Brazilian defender Lucas Beraldo from Sao Paulo. Leicester had been linked with the talented prospect by media in South America but his move to Europe has seen him arrive at one of the heavyweights.
At €20m, they didn’t really stand a chance of capturing Beraldo, not while they were in the Championship.
Now, a similar narrative could unfold in their pursuit of Wolfsburg centre-back David Odogu.
Fabrizio Romano drops update on David Odogu as Leicester and Chelsea hold talks
According to Sky Sports Germany, Leicester and Chelsea have held initial talks with 17-year-old wonderkid David Odogu while several teams from the Premier League and Championship have now inquired about him.
Fabrizio Romano has also weighed in with his verdict on his Daily Briefing and although Leicester’s name wasn’t mentioned, he’s provided information on the transfer speculation.
He said: “Chelsea have been linked with 2006-born David Odogu by some reports, but I’m not aware of any talks or contacts. He’s a very good player, a good talent for the future. I think he’s very talented – he needs game time to improve and develop, but his potential is very good.”
Much like the situation with Beraldo, the Foxes could find themselves missing out on a talented youngster to a big club, and there’s no shame in that.
Who is David Odogu?
There’s a reason why a club like Chelsea are in talks with Udogu. He looks like a huge talent, having won the World Cup at youth level, even if he’s yet to play a competitive game in the Bundesliga.
Instead, he’s been showing off his impressive skills in the Junior Bundesliga for the clubs U19s, scoring once and providing two assists in just eight matches from centre-back.
Odogu has also shone on the international stage and played a key part in Germany U17s World Cup-winning campaign back in December, with the youngster playing all 90 minutes in all but one match.
Following that, he played every minute of the knockout stages including in the final where they beat France U-17s 4-3 on penalties following a 2-2 draw to lift the trophy.
Having already shown his incredible talent at such a young age, it would be a miraculous feat if Leicester were able to pull off the acquisition of this wonderkid.