Manchester United and Chelsea are reportedly keen on signing Ajax sensation Kasper Dolberg, who has made a major impact in the first team this season. Aged just 19, the forward has already been able to mix amongst the big boys after scoring five goals in 11 Eredivisie appearances. In the past, Eredivisie players have struggled to make a major impact in the Premier League with the biggest exception being Luis Suarez. The Uruguayan came from Ajax with insane goalscoring records but he was able to live up to the billing unlike the likes of Memphis Depay and Vincent Janssen.
Dolberg, who is dubbed as a new Zlatan Ibrahimovic, is contracted with Ajax until the summer of 2021, thus making it extremely difficult for interested parties to sign him on a cheap. Manchester United are in greater need of some quality upfront and they may not think twice about paying over the odds for such a highly talented youngster. The gamble with Anthony Martial is yet to pay dividends, but the Frenchman still has a long way to go and can still become one of the best strikers in the club.
Ajax were able to sign the player for only around €270,000 from Silkeborg IF U19 in the summer of 2015. After spending one season in the reserve team at Ajax, he has settled in seamlessly in the first team. The young shoulders have not been showing much pressure despite playing for one of the biggest teams in Dutch football. These elements appear to have impressed clubs from around the world with Chelsea and Manchester United having a keen eye on the player.
The interest from Chelsea does appear surprising considering that the club signed Michy Batshuayi only in the summer, and he remains unable to get much game time so far.
United may have a full complement of strikers like Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford in addition to experienced names like Wayne Rooney and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but they continue to be linked with forwards from around the world.
Yet to make his international debut, Dolberg has only featured for the youth national teams so far. He recently made his debut for the Denmark U21 and he marked with a goal. Should the 19-year-old continue the impressive run, it is highly possible that he may feature in the national team sooner rather than later.
It is rumoured that Manchester United scouts were in the stands to watch Dolberg’s performance against Celta de Vigo in the Europa League. The player certainly did not disappoint after scoring one of the goals in the 3-2 win for Ajax. The striker completed 90 minutes of football against AZ Alkmaar during the weekend without any goals.
