Liverpool and Manchester United are closely monitoring 17-year-old Serie A star hailed a 'hybrid of Leo Messi and David Silva' - Reports
Liverpool and Manchester United are reportedly keeping a close eye on Udinese's Simone Pafundi, who has been hailed as a 'hybrid of Leo Messi and David Silva'.
According to GOAL (h/t HITC), the two English teams have been following the 17-year-old, who has been called up by Italy for the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers in March. Real Madrid have also been mentioned as a potential suitor.
Each year, GOAL publishes the 'NxGn' list, which mentions 50 of the world's best youngsters in world football in their opinion. Pafundi, who has already made his senior bow for Udinese, made the cut for the 2023 edition.
They also went on to comment on the apparent interest from the three European superclubs and wrote:
"Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup has offered manager Roberto Mancini some time to start planning for the future. And the Azzurri boss has been able to hand out debuts to a number of youngsters over the past 12 months.
They added:
"The least experienced to make their full international bow was Pafundi, with the 17-year-old playmaker becoming the youngest player to represent Italy for over 100 years.
The website concluded:
A diminutive playmaker, Pafundi has also broken into the senior side at Udinese but has clubs from around Europe tracking his progress. With reports suggesting that Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid are all watching him closely."
While writing a scout report on Pafundi for Football Talent Scout, journalist Jacek Kulig described the teenager as a 'hybrid of Leo Messi and David Silva'. Both Silva and Messi have a low center of gravity which heightens their already world-class dribbling ability.
Apart from that, the duo have made a name for themselves as two of the finest playmakers of this generation.
More about Liverpool and Manchester United target Simone Pafundi, who has been likened to Lionel Messi
Simone Pafundi is a product of Udinese's youth academy, where he has honed his skills since 2014. At 1.66 meters tall, he isn't the most imposing player physically, but his diminutive physique offers him added agility and ball control.
He plays as an attacking midfielder for I Friulani, for whom he has already made three senior appearances in Serie A. Pafundi was handed his international debut by Azzurri boss Roberto Mancini as a last-minute substitute in a 3-1 friendly win over Albania in November.
It remains to be seen if Liverpool and Manchester United will make a move for the playmaker in the near future. The teenager's contract at Udinese runs until the summer of 2025.