MANCHESTER UNITED and Brighton appear set to lock horns over Olympiacos wonderkid Christos Mouzakitis after he won an esteemed award.
Mouzakitis, 18, has attracted a raft of interest around the world following a stunning debut season with the Greek champions last term.
That led to the midfielder winning Tuttosport’s Golden Boy Web Winner, which honours the best Under-21 players competing in Europe, after earning over 1million votes from fans across the world.
The Greece international defeated the likes of Real Madrid’s Arda Guller, Borussia Dortmund’s Jobe Bellingham and last year’s winner Kenan Yildiz of Juventus for the honour.
SunSport understand Man Utd and Brighton are keeping tabs on Mouzakitis ahead of the January transfer window.
We can report that both teams have been eyeing the youngster for over a year after he burst onto the scene with Olympiacos.
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United are looking to strengthen in the middle of the park and have previously been linked with Brighton’s Carlos Baleba and Atletico Madrid’s Conor Gallagher.
The Seagulls could lose Baleba and are always on the lookout for rising stars as they have proven in recent years.
Most recently, Brighton signed Mouzakitis’ fellow Olympiacos academy graduate Babis Kostoulas for £29.7million, with £1.7m in add-ons, last summer.
The two wonderkids made history in 2024 as they became the first ever Greek club to win a European trophy after conquering the Uefa Youth League with Olympiacos’ Under-19s – that was before the seniors won the Europa Conference League a few months later.
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And SunSport understand Mouzakitis’ market value starts at £13.2m, but his asking price is expected to be multiplied by January.
Nevertheless, the central midfielder could still pose as a bargain buy compared to many other targets.
But United and Brighton are braced for an intense bidding war for the rising young talent, whose contract in Piraeus runs out in 2029.
SunSport recently revealed Mouzakitis has also been eyed by Premier League foes Arsenal, Aston Villa and Wolves.
The midfielder has also attracted interest from Dortmund, AC Milan, Juventus, Villarreal and Atletico.
Mouzakitis has amassed a total of two goals and six assists in 49 appearances since his promotion to Olympiacos’ first team in 2024.
