London (AFP) – Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga has extended the contract of young striker prodigy Youssoufa Moukoko until 2026, the team announced on Saturday.
Moukoko was scheduled to become a free agent in the summer of 2023, and the Saudi-backed Newcastle and some of Europe’s top teams, including Barcelona, Chelsea, and Liverpool, were said to be interested in signing the young player, according to German media.
After joining Dortmund from St Pauli in 2016, Moukoko, 18, progressed through the club’s youth tiers, netting 141 goals in just 88 appearances before making the switch to the senior team.
The Germany striker made his top-flight debut in November 2020, one day after turning 16 and breaking the Bundesliga record for the youngest player ever.
Just 27 days later, he scored his first senior goal to become the league’s youngest ever goalscorer.
Moukoko has six goals and four assists in 14 games in the 2022-23 season.
Born in Cameroon before moving to Hamburg at the age of nine, Moukoko chose to represent Germany at youth level.
At the age of 17, he became the youngest ever Germany player when he made his debut in a pre-World Cup friendly against Oman, breaking a record which had stood for 68 years.
He came on as a substitute in Germany’s opening 2-1 loss against Japan at the Qatar World Cup.
Moukoko on Saturday told the club’s website staying in Dortmund was “a decision of the heart”.
“It’s no secret that I feel good at Dortmund,” Moukoko said.
“I participated in the young teams, started playing professionally here, and am now prepared to advance in my development with the squad.
“Of course, I was flattered by other clubs’ interest, but ultimately, it’s a heart decision,” the speaker said.
Sebastian Kehl, the sporting director for Dortmund, lauded the “outstanding” striker on Saturday in a prepared statement after giving Moukoko until Sunday’s match against Augsburg to decide.
“It was crucial for us to be able to reach an agreement on the negotiations this week so that we can all begin the 2023 football season in peace and with our full attention on the sports challenges, with Youssoufa in particular.”
Moukoko and Dortmund coach Edin Terzic get along well; in November, Moukoko said, “I sense the manager’s trust,” while on World Cup duty.
AFP