Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal are all reportedly in the hunt to sign Red Bull Salzburg forward Patson Daka.
The Zambian has enjoyed a sensational season in front of goal for the Austrian side, having scored 27 goals in 31 games across all competitions, including an incredible 20 strikes in 18 matches in the country’s Bundesliga to make him comfortably the league’s top scorer.
Daka also bagged two goals in a pre-season friendly against Liverpool last August as well as a double in a 5-2 aggregate win over Maccabi Tel Aviv last September to help the team qualify for the Champions League, with Salzburger Nachrichten reporting that the four English heavyweights are all showing an interest in the forward, valued at €20million (£17m) with that figure likely to soar.
In an interview with BBC Sport in January, Daka spoke about his ambition to follow in the footsteps of the great African goalscorers who have made headlines in the Premier League over the last few seasons.
‘To see our big brothers like (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang, (Mo) Salah and (Sadio) Mane, it’s something that gives me the dream that I can also make it. I can be like them. They are my inspiration, knowing that they also come from Africa.
‘I think when people are making those kind of comparisons, it’s great, looking at the status of Sadio Mane, the kind of football he plays and the kind of person that he is.’
In an interview with BBC Sport in January, Daka spoke about his ambition to follow in the footsteps of the great African goalscorers who have made headlines in the Premier League over the last few seasons.
‘To see our big brothers like (Pierre-Emerick) Aubameyang, (Mo) Salah and (Sadio) Mane, it’s something that gives me the dream that I can also make it. I can be like them. They are my inspiration, knowing that they also come from Africa.
‘I think when people are making those kind of comparisons, it’s great, looking at the status of Sadio Mane, the kind of football he plays and the kind of person that he is.’
RB Salzburg were then demoted to the Europa League, but came unstuck in the round of 32 against Villarreal, losing 4-1 on aggregate.
The noise around Daka is not a new phenomenon for Die Roten Bullen, who have become accustomed to losing their top players over the years.
The team saw inspirational attacker Dominik Szoboszlai depart for Red Bull Leipzig on New Year’s Day and lost influential pair Takumi Minamino and Erling Haaland to Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund respectively in January 2020.
[Daily Mail UK]