Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Fulham set sights on Millwall player

18-year-old Millwall defender Chinwike Okoli has emerged on the radar of a whole host of first and second-tier teams, as per a report from Allnigeriasoccer.com.

The report states that Championship clubs, Bournemouth, Cardiff City and Fulham are all monitoring the teenage defender, whilst Aston Villa are providing some Premier League competition. 

Joining the Lions’ academy at the age of 12, the 6ft 4in defender had previously attracted the attention of fellow London club Crystal Palace.

The highly-rated central defender is currently operating at U18 level but has also been training with the senior squad in recent months.

Given the excitement around the young defender’s name, the report states that Millwall are hoping to see Okoli sign his first professional contract at The Den.

It appears that negotiations have already started, however, it remains to be seen what kind of impact the latest interest will have.

The verdict 

Given that the Lions view Okoli as a player who is not too far away from the first-team set up and has been training with the senior side, it is no surprise to see them pushing hard for him to sign his first professional contract. 

However, it remains to be seen whether the teams in pursuit will be able to secure a deal, whilst more clubs could be alerted to the possibility of signing the young defender. 

With Bournemouth and Fulham pushing for Premier League football, it could quite easily be three Premier League clubs in pursuit, which could influence things. 

However, Okoli might see a clearer path to first-team football and decide to commit to the Lions, a notion becoming increasingly popular.

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