The 18-year-old Kano-born striker has been impressing several clubs due to his incredible performances at the 2024 Viareggio Cup
Inter and AC Milan have emerged as top suitors for Nigerian youngster Hafiz Umar Ibrahim, striker of Ojodu City FC, Soccernet.ng exclusively reports.
Other clubs chasing the 18-year-old include Italian club sides Fiorentina and Sassuolo as well as Portuguese sides FC Porto and FC Braga.
The clubs have seen his talent at the Viareggio Cup, one of the world’s leading football tournaments for young players and academies. The tournament is in its 74th year and will be won by an African team for the first time, as three Nigerian teams and one team from Congo Brazzaville made the last four.
Who is Hafiz Ibrahim?
Ibrahim has scored nine goals in the tournament. He scored consecutive hat tricks in Ojodu City’s 5-0 victory against United States team Westchester United and in the 4-0 quarterfinal win over Hungarian club Honved.
“I’ve never seen a defender that can intimidate me,” Ibrahim told Soccernet.ng. “All I want to do is play and score goals.”
“My personal aim is to win the highest scorer award and for my team to win the tournament,” he said.
Born in Kano, Ibrahim is an upcoming striker that is sure to light up the football world with his skills. He likens himself to Romelu Lukaku, the Belgian striker.
Standing at 1.9metres, he uses both feet and has also scored with the head in this tournament. Even though he has limited education, Ibrahim speaks Hausa and Pidgin English very well.
Hafiz Umar Ibrahim, Ojodu City FC. Photo by Lolade Adewuyi
He has told Soccernet.ng about his hopes of becoming a professional footballer so that he can take his family out of poverty. He was once a trader in the Kano market to help them make ends meet.
What is his market worth?
Soccernet.ng can exclusively reveal that the player is being put on the transfer market for between 500,000 to 700,000 euros by his agents.
The interest in him has grown and smaller clubs that were interested at the beginning of the tournament have now been priced out.
Teams from Eastern Europe and the Serie D were the first to show interest after Ojodu City’s first two matches. His agents decided against committing to their trial requests, preferring to wait till the end of the tournament.
Their patience was well worth the wait as the striker has now become the leading scorer of the tournament, making the giants of Italian football take notice of his talent. His worth has risen commensurately.
A move to one of the teams would secure his future and an opportunity to help his family live a better life.
Ojodu City FC will take on Beyond Limits FA in the semi-finals for a chance to reach the finals.
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