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Schalke have interest in 16-year-old Chelsea winger

By Kevin Parvizi

SAN PEDRO DEL PINATAR, SPAIN - OCTOBER 10: Samuel Iling-Junior of U17 England shot a penalty during the International Friendly match between U17 England and U17 Germany at Pinatar Arena on October 10, 2019 in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain. (Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images for DFB)
SAN PEDRO DEL PINATAR, SPAIN - OCTOBER 10: Samuel Iling-Junior of U17 England shot a penalty during the International Friendly match between U17 England and U17 Germany at Pinatar Arena on October 10, 2019 in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain. (Photo by Mateo Villalba Sanchez/Getty Images for DFB) /
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FC Schalke 04 always have one eye on up-and-coming prospects in European football, and they are reportedly looking at Chelsea U18 player Samuel Iling-Junior.

With Alessandro Schöpf, Rabbi Matondo, and Daniel Caligiuri as the only true wide players on the team, FC Schalke 04 clearly need far more talented wingers in the squad. Schöpf and Caligiuri aren’t as attacking, whereas Matondo is better as a forward than a winger.

Therefore, Schalke should have their eyes on a number of options – both young and experienced – next summer to make upgrades to a critical position of need. Their attack is clearly lacking in width, which is often supplied by fullbacks Bastian Oczipka and Jonjoe Kenny. Plus, with Kenny set to return to Everton and Caligiuri’s future also in question, their need only increases.

According to a report from Football Insider, the Royal Blues are among the clubs interested in Chelsea 16-year-old winger Samuel Iling-Junior, who is capable of playing on either the left or right.

Iling-Junior’s contract expires at the end of the 2019-2020 season, so if Chelsea are unable to convince him to stay, he could leave for free to another big club in Europe.

Schalke will have plenty of competition. Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich are among the clubs interested in the England international, while Ligue 1 powerhouses PSG are also involved. Ajax are renowned for their ability to develop younger talent, so they should not be underrated as a potential landing spot for Iling-Junior.

However, in Ozan Kabak, Amine Harit, Suat Serdar, Benito Raman, Weston McKennie, and Ahmed Kutucu, Schalke have shown that they can raise the profiles of young players. Alexander Nübel and Leon Goretzka, for example, recently signed free transfers with Bayern after establishing themselves as stars with regular playing time in Gelsenkirchen.

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A left winger by preference, Iling-Junior is highly touted in England, but he could see his path to regular playing time with the Chelsea first team as being blocked off. If that’s the case, then Schalke could make sense as a team to swoop in; the Bundesliga is known for giving chances to young players, especially clubs like Schalke.