Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are battling to sign Freiburg centre-forward Igor Matanovic, according to CaughtOffside.
Matanovic has been one of the most highly sought-after forwards in recent transfer windows, and unsurprisingly so, due to his prolific goalscoring form for his club.
Despite being an Austrian international, he has spent all his career playing in Germany, first joining Harburger TB in 2010 before signing for St Pauli, where he came through all the ranks at the academy.
He recorded an outstanding goalscoring record at the academy, particularly at U17, where he provided 26 goal contributions in 27 games, leading his former manager, Timo Schultz, to describe him as ‘exceptional’.
Matanovic’s prolific form for the youth sides saw him quickly integrated into the first team, where he debuted in the 1-0 Bundesliga 2 loss to VfL Osnabrück in November 2020 to become the third-youngest ever debutant in the club’s history at 17 years, 07 months, and 27 days.
After 57 games, he signed for Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer of 2021, but things didn’t go as planned, as he made just 25 appearances before joining Freiburg.
Since joining the Breisgau-Brasilianer, the 23-year-old has rediscovered his form, providing 27 goal contributions, with eight of those coming in just seven games this season, which has drawn significant interest from major clubs.
Among the clubs looking to sign Matanovic, CaughtOffside claims that Arsenal, Man Utd and Chelsea are closely monitoring the youngster ahead of a possible swoop.
‘Extraordinary’ forward
For the Gunners, having failed to sign a new centre-forward last summer, the report adds that Matanovic would be a like-for-like alternative to Kai Havertz due to the similarities in their qualities.
United are also looking to add additional firepower to their frontline due to recent fitness problems with Benjamin Sesko, with the Austrian now being eyed, according to the report
On the other hand, the report adds that Chelsea are always looking out for young prospects like Matanovic, although they currently have Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck as first- and second-choice options.
In a boost to the Premier League trio, CaughtOffside reveals that Freiburg will not oppose the 6ft 4in Austrian international’s departure, although his valuation has increased from £30m to £50m.
Matanovic has provided double figures in goals in the last two seasons, but beyond that, his all-round play, including physicality, box presence, link-up play, and aerial prowess, are perfect qualities that suit the intensity of the Premier League.
With Freiburg open to his departure, it’ll be interesting to see which of Arsenal, Chelsea or Man Utd will win the race for his signature ahead of the 2027 transfer window.
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