A record-breaking Southampton youngster is now wanted by Premier League rivals Arsenal and a side in the Champions League.
Southampton have a reputation for eyeing young talent and the ability to produce world-beaters through their academy.
Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, James Ward-Prowse and Luke Shaw are the standout names to have graduated through their academy system.
Currently, the Saints have a plethora of youth players flying the flag for the next generation, including England under-18 stars Jayden Meghoma, Sam Amo-Ameyaw and Tyler Dibling.
That trio offer hope for a bright future on the South Coast, as does Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez, who is currently attracting interest from multiple European giants.
Arsenal and Benfica want Southampton youngster Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez
Southampton face a fight on their hands to keep promising young striker Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez this summer.
The 16-year-old produced ridiculous numbers in the under-18 Premier League last term with two goals and nine assists in 10 appearances – topping the league’s charts for that metric.
Described as looking “older than he is”, facially and also from physical and playing points of view, the Saints have been in talks over a professional contract, in recent months, but the 2008-born forward can leave on a free transfer this summer as he doesn’t turn 17 while March.
Southampton want to avoid this from happening however, due to Gomes Rodriguez having a Portuguese passport, it enables him to circumvent Brexit restrictions and move across borders.
This means if he did leave to move abroad, the interested club would need to pay a cross-border fee worth around £150,000 in training compensation and £75,000 for every year he has been in the academy.
Unsurprisingly, the chance of landing such a talented prospect for cheap has appealed to several clubs, with Portuguese outlet Coluna Vermelha reporting that Benfica and Arsenal are among those interested.
The records Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez has broken
Regarded as among the best strikers in the country for his age, the Venezuelan striker has broken a whole host of records since arriving in England at the age of 10.
He broke the Southampton Youth Football League record, scoring 334 goals in 136 games, as per the Athletic, while in his first year in the academy, he scored 65 goals across under-15 to under-18 level, breaking Jimmy-Jay Morgan’s scoring record.
The records don’t stop there, though, as the teenage sensation became the youngest player to score a goal in Premier League 2, aged 15 years and 10 months in January this year.
Southampton will hope to see him continuing his development at the club for years to come and eventually, break into the first team.