Nigeria plotting to 'steal' Germany's U21 Championship winner

Africa is on the offensive. More and more talented players with African roots are becoming stars, but they choose other countries and nationalities, so the sports authorities have decided to do something about it. First the Congolese Football Association appointed the French-Congolese Claude Makelele as ambassador, with a task of convincing some dual nationals to do what he didn’t do – to accept to wear the jersey of the „Leopard“. Then the Ghana association tried to lure Chelsea’s Callum Hudson-Odoi to switch sides (the process is ongoing) and now Nigeria is trying to do the same with a new European U21 champion Lukas Nmecha, as per Bild. 

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In a recently finished European Under-21 Championship, Germain forward Nmecha claimed the Top Scorer award with his final goal, a winner in a 1-0 victory over Portugal in the finals. Manchester City man will be wanted this summer, as his contract runs up in 2022 and he is not near the first team squad. However, on the international front, things are heating up, as the young forward can represent as much as three countries.

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Nmecha qualifies to represent Germany as he was born in Hamburg but has previously represented England from U16 to U21 level. He helped England to win the 2017 European U-19 final after scoring the winner against Portugal in the final. As Nmecha has yet to represent any nation in a senior competitive international fixture, he can still commit his international future to England, Germany or Nigeria, where his father was born.

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Man City forward spent a very successful loan in Belgium, scoring 21 goals in 41 matches for Anderlecht and currently is a subject of interest from Aston Villa, Hamburg and Sporting Lisabon. With his contract ending in 2022, it’s likely that the Citizens will try to cash in on the player this June, for around 1.5 billion Ksh. It is suggested that a possible transfer for Nmecha will 'strengthen the link' between the Premier League champions and Sporting - a relationship that began with Pedro Porro's loan and may involve the sale of Nuno Mendes in the future.