Premier League giants Chelsea have made a move for Ojodu City FC's Hafiz Umar Ibrahim with a trial invitation to the Stamford Bridge side, Soccernet.ng can exclusively reveal.
The Pensioners are looking to hijack a move from Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt who have already offered the 18-year-old striker an opportunity to trial and then sign on Monday.
Chelsea's offer came in on Thursday night and they have now backed it with a formal invitation to London. If they like him, they will send him out on loan to Ligue 1 side Strasbourg.
Ibrahim scored 10 goals to emerge top scorer at the Viareggio Cup in Italy last month. He has been of interest to clubs like AC Milan, Inter, Fiorentina and Sassuolo since the tournament ended.
EPL giants Chelsea have invited Hafiz Umar Ibrahim to train with them with the potential to sign a long-term contract.
If Chelsea likes him, he will be loaned out to Ligue 1 side Strasbourg
Hafiz has already traveled to Bodo/Glimt in Norway in order to sign on Monday #transfers pic.twitter.com/u6UnCqHMMo
— Lolade Adewuyi (@Jololade) March 1, 2024
Who is Hafiz Ibrahim?
Born in Kano, the biggest city in northern Nigeria, Ibrahim was born on 20 December 2005.
He plays as a striker for Ojodu City FC, an amateur football club based in the Ojodu local government of Lagos State, Nigeria.
He told Soccernet.ng in an interview that he uses both feet but prefers his left. Romelu Lukaku, Luis Suarez and Zlatan Ibrahimovic are his striker role models. But he feels that Belgium’s Lukaku is the player that he most closely patterns his game after.
Ibrahim was born into a poor home in Kano where he sold fruits in the local market to help out. He hopes to one day become a professional footballer.
“I want to help my family and the people around me,” he told Soccernet.ng. “Football is what will give me the tool to help people.”
He is a big lad with a lot of responsibility on his shoulder. He hopes to one day bring his family out of poverty through football. “They have been praying for me,” he said. “And I can feel that their prayers are working. I won’t disappoint them.”
Ibrahim speaks Hausa and Pidgin fluently.
