Barnsley aiming to fend off Premier League interest in player

Barnsley youngster Fabio Jalo is attracting Premier League interest, with the Tykes facing a battle to keep hold of him this summer, according to the Barnsley Chronicle.

The 16-year-old won the club’s Academy Player of the Season for the 2021-22 campaign and scored 27 goals across all the age groups he played for over the course of the year.

That included the under-23’s, even though he is yet to start his two-year scholarship at Oakwell, whilst also netting against Crystal Palace for the club’s under-18’s in the FA Youth Cup.

Jalo scored 15 times for the under-18’s in the season just gone and has recently been selected for an England youth camp, and despite agreeing to a scholarship deal with Barnsley, which will last until the summer of 2024, a professional contract offer is on the horizon for the forward.

Academy boss Bobby Hassell, who played 270 times in the league for the Tykes, has revealed he is set to try and convince Jalo and his family that Barnsley is the right place for the striker’s future development, but has also admitted that they could be blown out of the water in terms of finances if top clubs make an offer.

The Verdict

Jalo looks to be a very exciting prospect coming through the ranks at Oakwell, and he looks to be developing at a rate of knots.

It should come as no surprise considering Barnsley are the club that developed talents such as John Stones and Mason Holgate, and Jalo could potentially follow in their footsteps.

However, it may be too soon to pin hopes on him breaking into the fold in the 2022-23 season, but if you’re good enough then you’re most definitely old enough.

Hassell has described Jalo as the most exciting attacking player to come through the academy system, and that bodes well for