For those who do not treat youth tournaments as their primary point of interest in football, competitions such as the Under-20 World Cup or the European Under-21 Championship can appear out of nowhere.
They are always thrilling to watch as viewers get an early look at some of the stars of the future. Given how quickly many players are able to burst onto the scene these days, there will be a lot of very recognisable names at the Under-21 Euros in Romania and Georgia which got underway on June 21 and run until the final on July 8.
More importantly, there will be a lot of players in action who are already being linked with moves to some very big clubs. 90min has the lowdown on every player on this list of 2023 U21 Euros stars to keep an eye on as the transfer market gets into full swing.
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Lois Openda – Belgium
Belgian attacker Lois Openda was one of the best players in Ligue 1 last season and came close to leading RC Lens to a shock league title at the expense of Paris Saint-Germain. Had the Parisien side had one more wobble, it could have been a different story.
Openda got 21 league goals and four assists last season which is why the 23-year-old is being linked with a big move to either AC Milan or RB Leipzig. Premier League sides like Manchester United, Liverpool, Newcastle and more have all been to see him in action recently.
Lens are demanding €50m given he has another four years left on his contract. He only joined them last summer from Club Brugge and will be one of the most confident players at the tournament.
Khephren Thuram – France
Certainly one of the biggest names in the summer transfer window so far, it will be amazing if Khephren Thuram is still a Nice player next season. The young French defensive midfielder has already shown he has so many elements of midfield play in his locker.
One of them is stamina; he played an incredible 48 games this season for Nice across all competitions. The team he seems to be the most heavily linked with is Liverpool, which is a theme for midfielders on this list. The Premier League side have been in talks with Nice but he is one of many targets Jurgen Klopp has in midfield.
Gabri Veiga – Spain
Another midfield name that seems to be a serious target for Liverpool, Gabri Veiga was the shining light for Celta Vigo in 2022/23 in a really tough campaign. He’s an exciting attacking midfielder who grabbed 11 La Liga goals and four assists despite being in a poor side.
Chelsea and Barcelona have also been linked with Veiga and it seems very likely that there will be a lot of eyes on him at the U21 Euros. Almost every big club in Europe has been watching Veiga in the second half of the season.
Levi Colwill – England
Levi Colwill could be one of the big movers in the Premier League this season. Many Chelsea fans have been baffled by the refusal to use him in the past, but they made the right call in loaning him to Brighton. He has flourished into one of the best ball-playing defenders in the Premier League.
Brighton are now prepared to try and break their transfer record for the Chelsea man. Tottenham have also been linked with Colwill, who has told Chelsea he would like to leave if he is not going to be a firm part of the first team next season.
Ryan Gravenberch – The Netherlands
OK, this is the final Liverpool-linked midfielder on the list. Ryan Gravenberch was in a similar position last year while still an Ajax player before moving to Bayern Munich.
That seemed like the end of it, but he has not managed to find his form in Bavaria and has told the club he wants to leave if he does not get more game time.
Liverpool were heavily linked last year, but they now feel they could get a cut-price deal for the Dutchman. That could be a loan with an optional fee, but either way, they will be watching him closely at the U21 Euros this summer.
Sandro Tonali – Italy
Arguably the player closest to actually making a move on this list, Sandro Tonali suddenly looks as though he will not be an AC Milan player next season. He took less money to join the team he supports, but it seems he and Milan cannot turn down the riches of Newcastle United.
The two clubs have now come to an agreement for his sale and while Tonali is really key to Milan, he is not irreplaceable. The sad truth for Serie A is no club in the league can turn down a €70m bid for a player like Tonali, especially when there are cheaper replacements available.
Giorgi Mamardashvili – Georgia
There’s a very good generation of players coming through in Georgia right now. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is the headline maker, but Giorgi Mamardashvili has been superb in goal for Valencia and is part of the reason they avoided a shock relegation to the Segunda Division.
He played 100% of the minutes in La Liga in 2022/23 and managed to keep seven clean sheets, hardly bad going for a goalkeeper in a team that finished the season in 16th, two points from the drop zone.
He has been in talks with various Premier League clubs over the past few months, while Monaco, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid also hold an interest.
