Premier League giants Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are tracking Elye Wahi but one former Ligue 1 ace is desperate to see the Montpellier striker stay in France.
They call France’s top flight ‘The League of Talents’ for a reason.
The downside to gaining a reputation for providing a platform for football’s next generation, however, is that these highly-talented young players do not tend to stick around for long; viewing Ligue 1 as a stepping stone onto something better rather than a place to continue their development.
The likes of Ousmane Dembele, Jules Kounde, Aurelian Tchouameni and Benoit Badiashile have all departed for supposedly bigger and better things in recent times. aAd 20-year-old Elye Wahi looks destined to follow in their footsteps.
According to FootMercato and Made in Foot, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham and a Newcastle side who have sealed Champions League qualification for the first time in two decades have all scouted the France U21 international.
And while former PSG, Lyon and Lille ace Matheiu Bodmer is not surprised about the level of interest – Wahi has 17 goals and five assists this season after all – he does hope to see the Montpellier whizzkid buck a recent trend.
Is Elye Wahi joining Arsenal, Liverpool or Newcastle United?
“It’s been two amazing seasons. At the age of 20, for me, he already has everything (needed for) a great striker,” Bodmer tells Amazon Prime.
“On the surface, he has composure, he is calm, he has the right end-product. He is capable of scoring extraordinary goals, goals on his own, sharp finishes too. That is priceless.
“I would like him to stay in the French league. Now, will French clubs pay for him? I don’t know.”
World Cup winner Bixente Lizarazu recently suggested that Borussia Dortmund would be the ideal destination for Wahi, who’s searing pace and dead-eyed finishing has drawn comparisons with a young Kylian Mbappe.
And Bodmer expects Wahi to attract his fair share of Bundesliga interest. Especially with so many French players impressing across the border in modern times.
“There is a good chance that German clubs (will bid), because this is their style. (Signing) French players with high potential like Dortmund, Monchengladbach, Frankfurt,” Bodmer adds.
“But I hope he stays in France.”
Montpellier reportedly want around £25 million for Wahi. Club president Laurent Nicollin, meanwhile, admits the striker is free to leave, albeit for the right price.
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