If Jude Bellingham has been one of the mainstream stars of the World Cup, then alongside him is USA midfielder Yunus Musah. Lesser known than his England counterpart, Musah was equally as important for his own side in the tournament before being knocked out by the Netherlands in the last-16.
Musah, who plys his trade for Valencia having joined the Spanish side in 2019, ran the show against Bellingham and England in the group stage match between the sides, and demonstrated his energy, tactical understanding and technical ability to go toe-to-toe with England's very own talented midfield trio.
Bellingham and Musah are both targets for Chelsea and Arsenal heading into 2023, 90min have reported previously, whereas Declan Rice is also on the shortlist for the Blues and Weston McKennie is admired by many for his own work. In a snapshot of world midfields, England vs USA was a brilliant one for the next generation.
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Musah himself has spent a prolonged period of time in England already, on the books at Arsenal's academy until moving to Spain, a Three Lions youth international, and he could be heading back to the capital sooner rather than later as well.
Despite his contract at the La Liga side being until 2026, he signed it in 2020 after securing a first team spot as a teenager, The Athletic report that he could be available for much cheaper than a previously expected £86million release clause. Due to Valencia's financial situation, they would be open to offers of over €20million (£17million), it is suggested.
With both London teams looking to strengthen their midfield and also keep up a focus on youth intergration, Musah offers a good mix of both, but there's extra competition, with Liverpool also in the race. The Reds are also fighting for Bellingham, and Sport Bild in Germany report that they are favourites for the 19-year-old, but former defender Steve Nicol doesn't think the alternative in Musah is good enough to make a difference for Jurgen Klopp's side.
"Not yet,” Nicol told ESPN. “I mean he has had a good World Cup as far as the dirty side of the game, the running, the challenging, the winning the ball back. You could argue that Liverpool’s best team, they had three guys in the middle of the park that were really good at that. But no, I don’t think he’s close to Liverpool yet.”
If Klopp takes this advice then it may be good news for Chelsea and Arsenal, who look set to truly battle it out in the market in 2023, and Musah may only be the start.
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