Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City are the latest Premier League clubs to be linked with Schalke midfielder Weston McKennie, as ESPN claim that the £25 million-rated enforcer wants to leave for England.
With almost every club in Germany’s top flight hit hard by an ongoing financial crisis, some of the finest footballers in the Bundesliga could be packing their bags in the weeks to come.
Schalke are desperate to raise funds to avoid monetary ruin.
And, after imposing a salary cap as things get desperate at the Veltins Arena, the highly-rated USA international has emerged as their most sellable asset.
McKennie, an all-action, adaptable footballer capable of producing 8/10 performances in multiple positions, allegedly has his heart set on following his close friend Christian Pulisic to England after Schalke’s disastrous end to the 2019/20 campaign.
And the Texas-born 21-year-old is not short of offers.
ESPN has backed up previous claims that Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle United and Wolves are interested, while throwing two more names into the frame – Tottenham and Leicester.
It is no secret that Spurs are crying out for the sort of ‘positional midfielder’ that tends to provide the bedrock of a Jose Mourinho side, while Leicester are hoping to find a bullish ball-winner capable of easing the burden on Wilfred Ndidi in the centre of the park.
McKennie, then, looks a perfect fit for both clubs, especially if Pulisic’s gushing praise is anything to go by.
“Weston’s a really big dominant presence,” the £58 million Chelsea winger told the Bundesliga’s official website last year.
“He’s really good at winning balls. He wins everything. He’s also good with the ball, whereas I’m not as much of a ball winner but more of a creator and dribbler. I think [we’ve] worked really well together.”
ESPN adds that his many Premier League suitors are confident of getting a deal done for around £18 million.
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