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AFC Ajax and Manchester United fight it out for Ghana starlet

Having become a hotbed of talent in recent years, Scandinavian domestic football is seeing a huge upsurge in interest in their young talent. With many of the Danish teams in particular using intelligent analytics to find untapped gems in Africa and beyond, there has been a large growth in the value of the players who play in the Danish top-flight. The latest example of this is Ghana forward Kamaldeen Sulemana.

The youngster currently plays for FC Nordsjaelland, a popular team in the country with a fantastic youth development platform. Sulemana has quickly become a key player for the club, and recently spoke of his desire to play in one of the top leagues. He also was quick to note that both Manchester United and Ajax are keen to try and make a deal for the player.

Most reports suggest that Ajax are believed to be the leaders, though United have made clear they will not only match, but better, any offer made by the Dutch giants. With a summer transfer chase for a prodigious talent set to come, it is hard to say with any certainty where the player will arrive.

However, it is almost certain that he will no longer play in the Danish league. His quality has been apparent for some time, standing out as an elite talent at this level. His ability to control the ball, move it with both feet, and to get strikes off at goal show up Sulemana as an elite talent.

Seen by many as the brightest talent in Ghanaian football, it is likely that he will make his move away in the summer. At only 18, though, some believe he might benefit from another year of playing time in a ‘lesser’ league.

Where will Sulemana sign?

The main problem for United will come down to work permit problems. Since the UK left the European Union, the ease of signing players from Europe has changed. And although Sulemana would always have needed a work permit to get a move to England, he would find it much harder to get the agreement he needs now. Why? Because the work permit rules will be stricter for footballers as we move forward.

This is why some fans are a little worried about the links with so many young European talents. With the challenge in completing any signing at the moment from outside of the UK, it will be hard for teams to get the value they want on the market. Many young talents who will not meet work permit rules and regulations are likely to find themselves keen to go to another league where they can more readily gain access.

One solution would be to buy the player and loan him back to the Danish league until he can secure Danish nationality. However, with Ajax offering both a high fee in the region of £12-15m and offer regular playing time, the work permit issues might scupper United from landing a top level young talent.

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