Among the most valuable in Belgium
The midfield talent Bilal El Khannouss (19) from KRC Genk is one of the five most valuable players in the Jupiler Pro League with a market value of 18 million euros. His contract runs until 2027, but he says he is aiming for a move to a bigger club next summer. A possible destination could be the Bundesliga.
“I don’t want to look too far into the future yet, but I plan to take the next step abroad after this season. To a club where I can play a lot, which is necessary for my further development,” said El Khannouss in an interview with the daily newspaper “Nieuwsblad“.
When asked where he wanted to take the next step, he replied: “The German Bundesliga, for example, is a league in which many players have progressed. I’m thinking specifically of players like Kevin De Bruyne and Jude Bellingham.” El Khannouss rules out a model like that of teammate Maarten Vandevoordt (who was introduced as a new signing at RB Leipzig last year but will play in Genk until 2024): ” I don’t see that at the moment.”
With Debast, Nusa & Vermeeren: The most valuable players in the Jupiler Pro League
The Belgian native, who plays for the Moroccan senior national team, moved to the Genk youth team at the age of 15 and has been playing for the professionals since 2022. The right-footed player has appeared 64 times for the blue-whites to date, contributing four goals and seven assists. This season, of Genk’s outfield players, only right-back Daniel Muñoz has logged more minutes than El Khannouss.
“He is a new generation playmaker who sees and can process everything a little quicker than older players in his position,” says Bart Tamsyn, area manager of Transfermarkt Belgium. El Khannouss is considered a quiet guy who acts purposefully on the pitch. The youngster has improved again compared to the previous season, but Tamsyn has his doubts about whether he is ready for a Bundesliga club from the upper table region: “I can imagine that he will get a place in a team from the middle of the field the starting XI, but I’m not sure he could make an immediate impact on teams like Bayern, Dortmund or Leipzig.”
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