Manchester United and Chelsea are among the clubs keeping a watchful eye on 17-year-old Hoffenheim striker Max Moerstedt, 90min understands.
Moerstedt was formerly a youth player at Bayern Munich and is on the verge of making his first-team breakthrough at Hoffenheim. Set to turn 18 in January and already making waves at junior international level, he is recognised by the Bundesliga side as a player of enormous potential.
Despite his age, the teenage star stands around 6’4 tall and is an archetypal ‘number nine’.
It was his performances at the recently concluded Under-17 World Cup in Indonesia, which Germany won, that particularly caught the attention of a number of suitors. Moerstedt scored four goals at the tournament, as well as converting a penalty in the final shootout against France.
Manchester United and Chelsea scouts were impressed. Brighton & Hove Albion, a club with a deserved reputation for identifying and developing young talent, also like what they see. It isn’t just Premier League sides, though, with Juventus and Atalanta keeping tabs on Moerstedt too.
Prior to heading to Indonesia with Germany’s youth team, Moerstedt had scored ten times in nine games for Hoffenheim’s Under-19 in league action – that included a four-goal haul against Heidenheim, a hat-trick against Kaiserslautern and a goal and assist in a victory over former club Bayern Munich. He also netted twice in a cup thrashing of Borussia Dortmund.
Moerstedt spent the first half of last season with Hoffenheim’s Under-17 squad, scoring or assisting 16 goals in 11 appearances, before being promoted to Under-19 level midway through the campaign. Another mid-season promotion, this time up to first-team level, already beckons.
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