Newcastle United have made the shock decision to offer a contract to Malaysian wonderkid Luqman Hakim, according to HMetro, though work-permit problems could stop his dream move in their tracks.
Now, before the cynical among you jump at the chance to point out that this is nothing more than an attempt to raise the profile of a proud old football club in the Far East, Luqman is more than a marketing ploy.
The 18-year-old forward is arguably the most gifted footballer ever to emerge out of Malaysia.
And, should this real-life Santiago Munez fairytale come true, Luqman will be the first player from his homeland to ever step foot on Premier League turf.
This, in short, is history in the making.
According to HMetro, a contract offer from Newcastle has come as a real surprise to the Selangor wonderkid.
But given that he is yet to make a single appearance for the Malaysian national team, a work permit may be rather difficult to obtain.
Luqman has made it clear that he dreams of a career in Europe and a you would imagine that he would seize a potential move to Britain with both hands.
The teenager could have joined Cardiff City earlier in 2020, only for the global health crisis to put pay to that, as reported by Goal.
Blessed with impressive footwoork and an explosive shot, Luqman was also included alongside Ansu Fati, Gabriel Martinelli, Mason Greenwood and co in Goal’s NXGen 2020 series earlier this year.
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