Looking for promising talent, FC Schalke 04 and 1. FC Köln seem to have come across the same player: Nathanael Mbuku from Stade Reims.
Like the portal”fussballtransfers.com” from France, both Schalke and Cologne are showing interest in the 20-year-old Frenchman.
So far, only one other interested party has contacted Mbuku, the top Greek club Olympiacos Piraeus.
Mbuku’s contract at Stade Reims is only dated until the end of the season, so the transfer fee in winter should be manageable.
Neither Mbuku nor the French first division team should be hot for an extension. In the current season, the offensive all-rounder hardly plays a role in coach Will Still’s team.
There are only six brief appearances in Ligue 1. The talent has so far been waiting in vain for a starting eleven.
In the 2020/2021 season, at just 18, he made 32 appearances in the French top flight, scoring four goals and providing two assists.
The statistics looked similar last season: 31 Ligue 1 games, two goals and one assist were recorded.
Mbuku was with France at the Olympics
Mbuku has played for Stade Reims since he was young. He made his breakthrough with the professionals in the 2019/2020 season. Since then, the France U-national player has always been a fixture with the Red and Whites.
Mbuku can play almost any position on offense. The 20-year-old has played as a left and right attacker and in attacking midfield. He has also acted as a centre-forward.
In 2021, Mbuku took part in the Olympic Games with the French national team. He was used twice in Tokyo, once even from the start. However, he could not score a point.