Man Utd and Liverpool target was once tipped to be Lionel Messi's successor at Barcelona

Youssoufa Moukoko was once identified as the ideal replacement for Lionel Messi at Barcelona by former striker Samuel Eto'o.

Moukoko is enjoying an excellent season at Borussia Dortmund but is being strongly linked with a move away in the January transfer window.

The 18-year-old, who was part of Germany's World Cup squad, is out of contract with Dortmund at the end of the season.

He is yet to commit his future to the Bundesliga club, who could be forced to sell the forward next month rather than having him leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.

Moukoko is able to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club from the start of next month and is being linked with a move to the Premier League, either in January or when his contract expires in the summer.

According to The Times, Chelsea have joined Manchester United and Liverpool in the race to sign the German, who has scored six goals in 22 appearances for Dortmund this season.

United are in need of a new striker following Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the club, while Chelsea also require attacking reinforcements after Armando Broja was ruled out for the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Dortmund are keen to retain Moukoko and have reportedly prepared a contract offer worth £85,000 per week.

Moukoko's camp, however, are claimed to be demanding a salary closer to £115,000 per week.

Eto'o urged Barcelona to sign Moukoko

Back in 2020, former Barcelona forward Eto'o called on the Spanish club to sign Moukoko, believing he could be the perfect replacement for Messi.

"[There’s] a young player who plays for Dortmund called Youssoufa Moukoko," Eto'o told Goal in 2020.

"[He's] 15 years of age, and he’s the next top player, for me, after Messi.

"As Messi gets older, we could prepare the future of Barcelona very well."

But it now appears that Moukoko is more likely to move to the Premier League than La Liga.