Sofiane Boufal: Has the Liverpool and Man Utd Target Come of Age?

Lille midfielder Sofiane Boufal has really broke onto the scene at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy this season. The 22-year-old has been one of Lille’s standout performers this term, and his displays in Ligue 1 has alerted the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Boufal has been heavily tipped with a move away from French football, with the Premier League being touted as his most likely destination. Rumours suggest that the Gunners are hoping to beat their Premier League rivals to his signature, with an £18.5m bid for the attacking midfielder.

 

Exceptional season

So what it is that makes Boufal so highly sought-after? Well, for a start, his performances this season have been exceptional. The Frenchman has featured in 16 league and cup games for Lille this term, netting five times and assisting once in the process.

The attacker isn’t just a presence going forward either, Boufal doesn’t mind getting stuck in, and his six yellow cards and one red card proves just that.

However, the talented French ace has only really come to life this season, and with a price-tag just shy of £20m for a player who has only played 29 senior league games so far in his career, is an awful lot of money.

Nevertheless, there have been some real gems that have come from the French league to the English league recently, and Boufal could turn out to be a gamble worth taking.

 

Interest from England’s elite

With the Premier League trio all reportedly upping their interest, it seems to be a case of where in England the Lille No. 7 will end up. However, according to the latest reports, Arsenal seem to be in the driving seat to secure his services.

If Sofiane Boufal does indeed make the switch to the Premier League, it will be very interesting to see how the youngster will cope with the rigours of English football.

But, if his current form for LOSC is anything to go by, he undoubtedly has the potential to settle into his new surroundings with relative ease.

 

Written by Gareth Hinton

Follow Gareth on Twitter @Galccfc

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