West Ham are reportedly set to go head-to-head with Manchester United for the signature of African prodigy Zito Luvumbo.
According to Portuguese outlet SAPO Sport, Luvumbo’s potential has sparked interest from the Hammers, as well as three-time Champions League winners Man United, and that the 17-year-old winger could use the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup as a springboard to gain extra recognition from European clubs.
Despite his young age, Luvumbo has already represented Angola at senior level, playing in a 2022 World Cup qualifier for the east African side against The Gambia as reported by BBC Sport, with the attacker coming on towards the end of the game.
With Angola playing in a group that features the likes of Canada and host nation Brazil, the U-17 World Cup will be a good test for Luvumbo to see how he compares with some of the world’s most exciting youth players, and for West Ham, they will be hoping for a fine showcase so they can jump in front of the queue for the teenager’s signature.
Featured in The Guardian’s Next Generation series for 2019, Luvumbo is a player that has become a household name in Angola since breaking into the Primeiro de Agosto first-team and impressing in some of the country’s biggest fixtures, namely the 2019 Taca de Angola final where the teenager scored and won a penalty in a 2-1 win.
With West Ham already bolstering some fine attacking talent in their youth academy in the form of Nathan Holland and Xande Silva, Luvumbo would be at an ideal club to develop his already impressive skill set, and a standout showing at the U-17 World Cup could see the teenager win a move to the English capital.