ISL 2017: India U17 star Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem rejects interests from Indian clubs for foreign stint
India’s FIFA U17 World Cup star Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem looks all set for a foreign stint, as he is said to have rejected offers from a number of Indian clubs, as the January transfer window draws near.
Dheeraj was one of the standout performers for India at the FIFA U17 World Cup, which was held in the country, earlier this year. Although India lost all their three group matches during the World Cup, Dheeraj impressed one and all with his performances between the sticks.
With the attention of the whole world converged on India during the World Cup, Dheeraj is said to have impressed scouts from top European clubs like Borussia Monchengladbach and Galatasaray during the World Cup.
Despite such interests, Dheeraj went on to sign for the Indian Arrows in the I-League, a team that has been put together by the All India Football Federation (AIFF), in order to let the India U17 and U19 players play regular top-flight football.
However, the goalkeeper does not have a long-term contract in place with the AIFF and is all set to take up trials at foreign clubs after the year-end.
“Dheeraj will not extend his contract with Indian Arrows,” a source close to the star goalkeeper said to Sportskeeda. “After December 31, he has foreign trials lined up and he will go for them in hope of a contract offer.”
Interestingly, Dheeraj has also had a number of offers from Indian clubs, namely from the cash-rich Indian Super League (ISL). According to our source, as many as eight of the 10 ISL clubs have shown interest in the teenaged custodian. However, Dheeraj seems to have his eyes firmly set on a foreign stint for now.
There had been some confusion with regards to whether he would sign for the Indian Arrows or take up a different offer. According to reports, Scottish club Motherwell had shown an interest in him and were looking to offer him a trial. However, he had decided to sign a short-term deal with the Arrows ahead of the start of the Indian football season.