Man City 'eyeing move for Ajax youngster Gabriel Misehouy'

The 2005-born starlet's favoured position is the number 10 role, but he can also occupy a deeper midfield position or left-wing spot and has earned plaudits with his displays at academy level.

Misehouy has now spent 11 years in the Ajax setup, having joined their youth ranks in 2012, and he registered six goals and three assists from 15 games at Under-18 level before working his way through the ranks.

The 18-year-old particularly caught the eye in last year's UEFA Youth League, scoring three goals and setting up one more in four continental matches, including a strike against Liverpool's Under-19s.

Misehouy has continued to go from strength to strength in the current campaign with five goals and two assists in the Eerste Divisie for the Under-21s, although Ajax failed to win any of those games in which he contributed.

The playmaker's feats earned him his first-ever senior squad call-up for September's Eredivisie meeting with FC Twente, where he was an unused substitute as Ajax fell to a 3-1 defeat.

Misehouy also registered an assist on his debut for the Netherlands' Under-19s in a 2-0 friendly win over Italy last month, but he has spent the past few weeks out of action with a knock.

Ajax - who sit bottom of the Eredivisie table on account of their disastrous start to the season - are at risk of losing the 18-year-old next year, though, as his contract is up at the end of the current campaign.

According to Algemeen Dagblad - via Soccer News - Man City have shown an interest in Misehouy, who can start pre-contract negotiations with foreign clubs in January if he does not sign a new contract.

Man City already have a link with Ajax, as their former youth scout and loan player manager Kelvin de Lang left the Etihad this summer to join the Amsterdam giants as their chief scout.

De Lang is also serving as Ajax's technical director during Klaas-Jan Huntelaar's time away, and the latter was not able to agree new terms with Misehouy before taking a sabbatical.

As a result, the pressure is on De Lang to try to tie Misehouy down to a renewal, but with Man City now stepping up their interest, the Eredivisie basement side will find it difficult to convince Misehouy to pen fresh terms.

Man City waved goodbye to long-serving winger Riyad Mahrez in the summer, as well as letting Cole Palmer make the move to Chelsea, with both moves boosting the Citizens' coffers by around £72.5m.

The treble winners negated the impact of Mahrez's departure by bringing Jeremy Doku to the club in a £55m deal from Rennes, while also extending Bernardo Silva's contract until 2026, despite the Portuguese's previous desire to leave the club.