
Despite not yet making his senior debut for Dortmund, Moukoko is the player Barca should be targeting as they look for a long-term successor to 33-year-old Messi according to the Argentine’s former teammate Eto’o, who was twice a Champions League winner during five years at Camp Nou.
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“[There’s] a young player who plays for Dortmund called Youssoufa Moukoko,” Eto’o told Ghanabet when asked who he’d love to see as Barcelona’s next big signing. “[He’s] 15 years of age, and he’s the next top player, for me, after Messi. “As Messi gets older, we could prepare the future of Barcelona very well.”
Messi appeared close to an exit from Barcelona at one point this summer, having handed in a transfer request following a tumultuous 2019-20 season, which saw the Catalan heavyweights humiliated 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals and dethroned by Real Madrid in La Liga.

German-Cameroonian forward Moukoko, who was ranked 44th in Goal’s NxGn 2020 list celebrating the 50 best wonderkids in football, is the youngest player to play and score in the Uefa Youth League. He has already represented Germany at the U-20 level and has scored an eye-watering 134 goals in 86 appearances for Dortmund between U-17 and U-19 levels.