Kasper Dolberg – the £20m Ajax strike sensation dubbed the ‘next Zlatan Ibrahimovic’ and wanted by Manchester United
Danish hitman is being targeted by Manchester United, City, Everton and Liverpool after shining this season
WITH Ajax hoping to upset Manchester United in the Europa League final, they may also face a fight to keep hold of one of their hottest prospects in the summer.
That is because some of Europe’s best are interested in Danish striker Kasper Dolberg.
He has emerged as one of the hottest properties in continental football and a summer auction for his services could be on the cards.
So our friends at Football Whispers have taken a look at what clubs would get for their money.
Who is Kasper Dolberg and where does he come from?
The 19-year-old was born in Denmark, where he came through the ranks at hometown club Silkeborg IF, and made just three appearances in the Danish SuperLiga.
It was while he was playing for Silkeborg IF that he caught the eye of scout John Steen Olsen, the man who had previously discovered Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Christian Eriksen and Viktor Fischer.
Olsen recommended him to Ajax and he joined the club in the Dutch capital in 2015, as a 17-year-old.
He didn’t go straight into the first team in Amsterdam instead becoming part of Ajax’s De Toekomst youth academy.
The elite coaching on offer there, mixed with the Dane’s natural talent, has produced what looks like a very exciting modern forward.
He has enjoyed an excellent breakout year with Ajax this season, and has proved himself as an innovative forward full of whimsy, neat touches and mesmerising flicks, as well as having the ability to hold off defenders and beat a man in a one-on-one situation.
And at 6ft 1in, he can be a focal point for a team too.
Dolberg has relished the opportunity of being Ajax’s main man this season. He’s their top scorer, netting 23 times in 47 appearances, 16 of those goals coming in just 29 Eredivisie games.
His impressive form hasn’t gone unnoticed. He was named Ajax’s Young Player of the Season this year and has also won the Johan Cruyff award, which is given to the best Under-21 talent in the Eredivisie.
Previous winners of the award include Eriksen, Dennis Bergkamp, Marc Overmars, Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben and Memphis Depay. So Dolberg is in good company.
He has been dubbed the next Ibrahimovic, probably because of the Ajax connection, but he is very much his own player and draws together parts of the Swede's game, alongside Bergkamp and Patrick Kluivert to make Dolberg.
How much will he cost?
As with anyone linked to the Premier League, Dolberg will not come cheap.
A fee of £20million has been mooted.
That may sound expensive for a 19-year-old. But when you consider Manchester United paid an initial fee of £36m – which could rise to past £50m – for Anthony Martial at the same age, it doesn’t sound like a bad deal.
Even in 2004, when transfer fees were nowhere near as inflated as they are nowadays, the Old Trafford club splashed out £24m to bring in the teenage Wayne Rooney from Everton.
With the money floating around in the Premier League, a fee of that ilk will be easy for most clubs to reach if they want to bring Dolberg in in the summer.
Where is his most likely destination this summer?
The Ajax forward has been linked to a number of Premier League clubs and has most notably been the subject of Manchester United, Manchester City and Everton transfer rumours.
If he does want a move to Old Trafford, a good performance against them in the Europa League final won’t do him any harm.
But don’t rule him out of being a Liverpool transfer target this summer either. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp has been public in his admiration of the Ajax striker.
He said back in February: "Who doesn't know Kasper Dolberg? You can't play at Ajax without being noticed.
"Kasper Dolberg has a very great future. He is a fantastic player. I love Danish players, I had Leon Andreasen at Mainz, he was a monster.
“I also have fond memories of Bo Svensson and and Mohamed Zidan - he is probably half Danish, because his wife is Danish!
"But it's not that they are Danes, it is all about their qualities."
But Dolberg seems to have ruled out a move this week.
He told Dutch publication Elf Voetbal when asked about a move to England: “I will stay at Ajax next season.
“I want to get better and score more goals.”
But if the Premier League does come calling, the talented teenager may find it hard to turn down a move.