One of the stars for the Nigeria U17 team at the recently concluded WAFU B U17 Championship Michael Emmanuel has caught the eyes of several teams in Europe.

Michael who is predominantly a midfielder filed in at left back for Nigeria at the tournament and didn’t disappoint with three goals all coming from freekicks. He also bagged an assist in the final match were Nigeria triumph 2-1 against Burkina Faso.

He won three man of the match award in four games at the tournament. A perfomance that placed him on the radar of several teams and one has already contacted his team Simoiben Football Academy.

City Football Group Limited (CFG) the holding company that administers Manchester City in England, Lommel SK in Belgium, Troyes in France, Girona in Spain and Palermo in England are the first team to officially contact the academy funded by Super Eagles star Moses Simon.

The offer was brought forward by a scout who works with the group and it involves agreeing a fee for the left footed teen sensation now ahead of paying it when he turns 18 in two years time.

Their offer is said to be in excess of €1m but the focus of the academy is on ensuring that Michael moves to a team that will aid his development even for a fee way less. The CFG project isn’t a trusted project yet in the sight of the hierarchy of the academy.

A decision also won’t be taken on the 16 year old until at least after the U17 Africa Cup of Nations with sources at the academy insisting that money won’t be the motivation behind any decision. His career development will be the first criteria when a decision is made.

As the transfer window draws to the business end, teams are expected to step up their chase for their targets while some will make plans to hold on to their players even in the eyes of tempting offers.

One name who has been in the news lately is Almeria Nigerian striker Sadiq Umar. The Nigeria international has drawn serious interest from fellow Spanish side Villarreal whose coach Unai Emery wants him to fortify his attack.

Howeve,r the forward who is back in training with Almeria hasn’t made up his mind on leaving the newly promoted side with the love and trust the manager has for him making his decision more difficult. He is not sure he will get same elsewhere.

Although Villarreal’s offer hasn’t been accepted yet but if the lanky forward gives his consent to the move then talks will accelerate between both teams to find an agreement. For now that go ahead from Sadiq is still missing.

As first reported by OwnGoalNigeria.com, he has given his words to the sporting director of Sevilla Monchi that he will prioritize a move to the team if he leaves Almeria in the future. He gave his words after shunning a move to the Andalusian side last summer.

For now, Sevilla need to move at least two players in attack to raise funds and also create space for the signing of the Nigerian. A task that hasn’t been easy so far hence their delay in making an official bid for him.

He is not in a rush to leave Almeria even though he is tempted by the move to Villarreal. Sevilla however holds the keys to one of the tournament he is eager to play in which is the UEFA Champions League. A dilemma it is for the Kaduna raised star.

Crvena zvezda commonly known as Red Star Belgrade have set out plans for the new season where they will be competing in the UEFA Champions League following their league triumph last season in Serbia.

The team will join the UEFA Champions League qualifiers from the final round of qualifiers, and as part of their plans to beef up their sqaud they have set their sight on bolstering their options in attack.

To that effect they have set the wheel in motion to sign Nigeria international forward Cyriel Dessers, who finished as the top scorer in the UEFA Europa Conference League last season with ten goals while at Feyenoord.

Feyenoord are yet to take up the option of signing the Nigerian for €4m leaving the door open for other teams to make offer for the forward who is back at his Belgium side Genk. They are however open to letting him leave if a fee that meets their valuation is lodged.

For now Red Star Belgrade are the only team reported to have put in a bid for him but there is no confirmation if it is within the amount that Genk are demanding for the forward. Again no confirmation if Dessers is open to the deal.

The summer transfer window in Europe is just unfolding, and one of the players set to make headlines is Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian forward has been a rising star ever since he landed at Sporting Charleroi in the 2018/2019 season. Four seasons later and he is easily the most sought-after Nigerian player as the transfer window takes shape.

In his last four seasons playing int the top leagues in Europe, Osimhen has scored at least 10 goals and his transfer fees have been going up and up with each move that he’s made. Sporting Charleroi paid a paltry €3.5m for his services in July 2019 and he would go on to score 20 goals that season.

He attracted attention from across Europe and French side Lille won the battle for the Nigerian’s signature. They paid €12m for his services. He went on to score 17 goals in his one and only season at the club before Napoli moved for him. The Italians paid €70m for his services and after two seasons with Napoli, he could be packing his bags again.

Having played in two of the top five leagues, Osimhen’s next destination is definitely going to be in the big leagues. Just like it has been in the recent seasons, he will attract a lot of reviews and especially on top betting sites that come with competitive odds, like Betobet, which also comes with great offers.

With his performances in Europe, he is a good bet to hit 10 or more goals next season and this can offer a great way to utilize the Betobet bonus. Profiled on Wincomparator, Betobet offers a bonus of up to €100, matching the first deposit to 100% upon registration.

Osimhen scored 18 times for Napoli last season and his performances haven’t gone unnoticed. The striker has attracted interest from Germany and England. In Germany, it is the biggest team there, Bayern Munich, that is said to be on his chase. Robert Lewandowski is said to be on his way to Barcelona and Bayern, who have already signed Sadio Mane, have been linked with Osimhen as well, as a potential Lewandowski replacement.

The bigger links are coming from England though with three top sides said to be lining up bids for him. Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are all interested, and a quick look at these teams will suggest he can fit in any of them. Chelsea will however have an upper hand, being in the Champions League as well as having released Romelu Lukaku.

Arsenal have already signed a center forward, which may mean Osimhen could not be a priority for them anymore, but there can always be twists and turns as the Gunners look to address the fact that they released both Alexander Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Osimhem, being only 23, will fit in Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta’s long term plan, but the downside would be that Arsenal are only going to play in the Europa League.

Manchester United is also a prospective destination for the Nigerian. The club is restructuring after a poor campaign last season and Erik ten Hag could do with a forward of Osimhen’s magnitude. Marcus Rashford was poor last season and Mason Greenwood is suspended while Cristiano Ronaldo is seeking a move out. This makes it feasible for Osimhen to move to Old Trafford, but there’s the small issue of United playing in the Europa League next season, which may not be very attractive for Osimhen.

With teams beffing up their squad for the start of the new season, a lot of players are expected to be on the move before the end of the ongoing summer transfer window.

Some moves will go under the radar because the players are most times not in the league of the most sought after but teams have absolute faith in them hence their decision to sign them.

One of such is 17 year old Nigerian midfielder Chilohem Chukwuma Onuoha who was born in Germany. Who is joining RB Leipzig from fellow German side Hertha Berlin.

According to LVS, RB Leipzig are taking advantage of his contract situation at Hertha Berlin to get him on a cheap as he has one year left on his deal to run at the club.

He caught the eyes of a lot of teams last season last season, as he was exceptional for Hertha-U17 where he played in 14 games and scored five goals. Leipzig won the race to his signing ahead of the likes of Chelsea and Ajax Amsterdam.

LVZ editor Guido Schäfer describes the 1.88 meter tall youngster as “athletic, technically good with both feet”. He will start of with the U19 of the RB Leipzig where his progress will be monitored for promotion to the first team.

The imminent transfer of Ajax defender Lisandro Martinez to English Premier League giant Manchester United has left the Dutch side searching for defenders of similar abilities.

Martinez is predominantly a left sided centre back who can also operates as a left full back with his decisiveness in his tackling and abilities on the ball making him a defender who is sought after.

Ajax in their bid to get a defender of similar attributes have shifted their attention to Nigeria international defender Calvin Bassey who can also play as a left sided center back or a left full back.

Bassey was the star for Scottish side Rangers last season when they went all the way to the final of the Europa League posting man of the match perfomance in the semi final and the final match as well.

Ajax have reportedly slapped in a bid for the defender who can operate almost in same capacity as Martinez as he is comfortable in playing as a left or centre back. Their bid however fell short of Rangers valuation of the defender.

As per the Dailymail, Brighton and Hove Albion also made a similar offer which was rejected as well. Aston Villa are the other team set to be interested in securing the service of the Nigeria international.

As Taiwo Awoniyi settles down to life in his new surroundings at Nottingham Forest following his move from German side Union Berlin, ace English Premier League writer Adrian Clarke has given his opinion on the record signing.

Awoniyi smashed another transfer record when he moved to Nottingham Forest same like he did when he moved to Union Berlin from Liverpool. In both instances he was the club’s record signing.

With pre season now in full swing, Clarke gave possible reasons why the 24 year old will be a hit at the newly promoted English Premier League side when the season gets underway.

“Awoniyi is extremely similar to Keinan Davis, who proved the ideal foil for Johnson last term while on loan from Aston Villa”, he wrote in his article for the official website of the English Premier League.

“The summer signing scored an impressive 15 Bundesliga goals for Union Berlin in 2021/22, a side who averaged only 43.3 per cent possession.

“Leading the line for a Forest team who will also build their play for turnovers and counter-attacks, the former Liverpool forward’s physique and running power means he has the potential to function equally well for his new club”, he stated.

“Last season was his breakthrough year, scoring 20 goals for Union Berlin in all competitions, including four in the UEFA Europa Conference League.

To succeed at the City Ground, Awoniyi must hit the ground running and build on the confidence he has right now.

From a tactical perspective he is tailor-made to shine at the top end of the pitch for Forest”, he concluded.

As many as six players who were born abroad were keen on playing for the senior national team of Nigeria if they had made it to the Qatar 2022 World Cup according to a highly placed official in the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

Nigeria were unfortunate to lose out to Ghana on away goal rule after drawing 1-1 with Ghana in Abuja three days after a 0-0 away in Kumasi. The result ended their hopes of making it to the World Cup in Qatar.

That failure has cost Nigeria the services of some players born abroad who were willing to switch allegiance to Nigeria even though some of them they have played for other countries. Ghana who made it at the expense of Nigeria have since been successfully with five to six players pledging allegiance to the Black Stars.

Reacting, a chieftain of the NFF said its the fallout of qualifying for the World Cup that has made Ghana attractive to those players, and same would have been the case if Nigeria had made it to the World Cup.

” We had at least six who were already details away from joining us for the World Cup proper then the unfortunate happened. I know for sure that the duo of Jordan Torunarigha and Felix Uduokhai both youth international for Germany was as good as done”, he told OwnGoalNigeria.com.

” Rohr was advanced with them before he was sacked. Then the president of the NFF Amaju Pinnick has a chat with Tosin Adarabioyo and it ended in a positive note. We also got confirmation from the duo of Ebere Eze and Michael Olise on speaking after the qualifiers.

” Then there was Felix Agu. Talks were really quick with him. We hope to revisit the discussion when the new coach settles down because it’s his call to make ahead of us”, he concluded.

With so many players using the opportunity of the summer transfer window to switch teams, a lot of movement is expected in the coming days especially from players who are not sure of getting games or seeking for fresh challenge.

For Nigerian players it has been a slow window with the expectation that things pick up in the coming days as we reach the business end of the window. However Henry Onyekuru has already sorted his future.

Deemed surplus to requirements at Greek side Olympiacos after joining them a year ago on a permanent transfer from Ligue 1 side Monaco. He ended last season with just a goal and one assists in 27 games in all competitions.

The 25 year old has joined Adana Demirspor on a loan deal that empowers the Turkish team to make it permanent at the end of next season. He will be teammate to Italian maverick Mario Balotelli.

As players continue to work their way to full fitness ahead of the start of next season, many are wary of sustaining injuries which could keep them out either for the long term or a short while.

One player who happens to be unlucky as it came at a time where he has been tipped to have his breakthrough season is former Nigeria U17 captain and two cap Super Eagles midfielder Samson Tijani.

After his steady progress with the B team FC Liefering last season, he returned for pre season training with the main team and has been involved in all of their pre season games until he got injured against Feyenoord.

His club RB Salzburg announced that he will be missing for the entirety of next season after suffering a fractured fibula and tibia in their friendly game yesterday. A huge blow to the 20 year old.

The injury will also dent his chances of playing himself into the plans of new coach of the senior national team of Nigeria Jose Peseiro, after missing out on a chance to impress the coach owing to his failure to secure travelling visa for the friendly games in the United States of America.