Who is Lucien Agoumé - Inter's next Pogba
Inter looks set to complete the signing of Lucien Agoumé, the Cameroonian born midfielder from Sochaux.
Speaking to FcInterNews, one of the intermediaries in the deal, Oscar Damiani, said, “Lucien Agoumé is a jewel of a player with a huge talent, who half of Europe like and drool over, everyone wants him.
“Barcelona and Manchester City wanted him, but we were at an advanced stage in our talks with Inter who believe a lot in him. This was a solution that the player also liked a lot.”
The 17-year-old, who has represented France at youth level, is expected to soon be officially announced as after his agent was today pictured at Inter HQ in Milan.
Should Agoumé sign, fans will no doubt draw comparisons to former Juventus player Pogba, who made his breakthrough under the tutelage of Antonio Conte but the player has a long way to go before he can be compared to the Frenchman.
The Sochaux man is still only 17, 2 years younger than what was Pogba when he set Serie A on fire, so a loan move is to be expected although it is expected he will be put through his paces at preseason before any decision is made.
Agoumé, who made 15 appearances last season in Ligue 2 and 1 in the Coupe de France, started his career as a trequartista but later dropped deeper into the base of the midfield. The youngster has stood out for his technical ability and vision and has the ability to pick both short and long passes.
Measuring at 185cm tall the youngster also possess immense strength for his age which makes him incredibly tackle resistant in the centre of the field.
It is these attributes that caused Inter director Marotta to fall in love with the player, of course, the same man who masterminded Pogba’s arrival in Turin.
Of course, it is very early days in the player's development but Inter will hope that Conte is able to take this player under his wing and help him explode as he did with Pogba back in 2012.