Newcastle United are set to battle West Ham for the services of Mainz 05 attacking midfielder Erkan Eyibil, according to the Daily Express.
The national newspaper claim that the Magpies are keen on the 17-year-old midfielder who has scored 12 goals in the U19 Southern League this season, and their interest has turned the player’s head.
The Express report that while Mainz would be eager to keep Eyibil, who has been dubbed the next Mesut Ozil, they may sell him as the teenager won’t commit himself to a new deal.
OPINION
With Eyibil’s contract only having a year left to run and him being regarded as one of the hottest youth stars in German football then it makes sense that Mainz will sell him in the summer. The Bundesliga club know they could actually make a decent sum by parting with him next window rather than watching him run his contract down. While Eyibil, who has never featured Mainz’s senior team, wouldn’t be a signing who could instantly impact Rafa Benitez’s side, he’d be a smart one to make for the future. The teenager clearly has something about him to be compared to Arsenal playmaker Ozil and if he has only a fraction of the player’s raw ability, he’s worth checking out. However the Magpies do face tough competition in the race to sign Eyibil in the form of the Hammers and Galatasaray but they are capable of getting a deal done. While signing Eyibil shouldn’t be made a priority as first and foremost the Magpies need to focus on improving their first-team, it’s still a good sign that the 17-year-old has caught their eye.
