CHRISTOS TZOLIS was only 13 years old when his incredible talent caught the eye of Barcelona.
Six years later, barely a month after his 19th birthday, the PAOK winger finds himself linked with Manchester United.
PAOK wonderkid Christos Tzolis has been linked with a move to Manchester United
In a stunning 2020-21 so far, Tzolis has scored 15 goals in 33 matches across all competitions.
There used to be almost excessive excitement in Greece when a young homegrown talent emerged with a string of scintillating displays right out of the gate.
But that same enthusiasm has been replaced with a sense of contained optimism in recent years following the fall from grace of previous wonderkids.
Sotiris Ninis and Giannis Fetfatzidis, both formerly dubbed the ‘Greek Messi’, faded quickly and were forgotten by most.
However, there are also Greek prospects who lived up to expectations and moved on to bigger and better things.
Napoli star Kostas Manolas, ex-Arsenal ace Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Liverpool defender Kostas Tsimikas all spring to mind.
And Tzolis, 19, is currently on a fine path.
The Man Utd target was born in Salonika on January 30, 2002 and joined PAOK’s academy at the age of eight following a brief stint with Doxa Pentalofos.
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PAOK star Christos Tzolis has also attracted interest from Borussia Dortmund
The youngster stood out in the world-renowned Lennart Johansson Academy Trophy tournament in 2015 as he netted 11 goals in just FIVE matches for the Under-13s.
From that day he’s been attracting interest from some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Barcelona who were looking for the next big addition to their famous La Masia academy.
The winger, who can also play as an attacking midfielder and a centre-forward, went on to enhance his skills in Germany a year later.
Tzolis turned out for Rosenhohe Offenbach and Alemannia Konigstadten before returning to the Salonika giants in 2018.
Former Real Madrid midfielder Pablo Garcia – then PAOK Under-19s coach, now senior manager – saw Tzolis as the future of the club and quickly built his squad around him.
It proved a smart decision, too with the youth side immediately winning title.
Tzolis was the star too, with a total of 19 goals in 26 appearances.
Former PAOK manager Abel Ferreira took a chance on the fledgling forward and promoted him to the senior squad.
And in a real baptism of fire, Tzolis made his first-team debut against Olympiacos.
Two weeks later, the youngster scored his first goal against OFI – becoming the youngest scorer of the 2019-20 Superleague campaign in the process.
PAOK ace Christos Tzolis was previously linked with Barcelona
Tzolis continued to turn heads during the Champions League qualifiers when.
He scored two goals against Besiktas and shone brightly against Benfica before receiving his first call-up to the Greece national team.
Prior to his move to the senior squad, Tzolis had scored six goals in nine games for the Under-17s.
Borussia Dortmund are reportedly among the clubs most keen to snatch the Greek sensation, adding him to their growing pool of talented youngsters, like Erling Haaland, Jadon Sancho, Giovanni Reyna and Jude Bellingham.
But United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be set for a bidding war with Dortmund.
The Old Trafford chief also has a proven track record of developing youth prospects like Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Amad Diallo, who was signed from Atalanta in January.
In September, Tzolis extended his contract with PAOK until 2024 without a buy-out clause.
But reports suggest the 2019 Superleague champions are willing to sell him for a fee of around £17million in the summer.
PAOK are expected to receive a raft of offers for the Greece international, who was recently ranked among Uefa’s top 50 young talents.
Despite the hype, Tzolis remains humble and doesn’t let it go to his head.
Christos Tzolis has been ranked among the top 50 young talents
But what should United expect from the Greece ace should he sign in the summer?
Tzolis is quick, strong and boasts impressive dribbling skills.
He’s got a mean shot on him, is two-footed and can be played in every single position in attack.
The young Greek star also seems to possess the right character for Old Trafford with many singing his praises for his professionalism.
Tzolis maintains a low public profile and concentrates solely on the job in hand.
He’s got an impressive list of sporting idols, too.
Tzolis looks up to some of the most hard-working athletes today, such as Cristiano Ronaldo and tennis great Novak Djokovic.
Tzolis is an immensely talented player with great potential and ambition.
But a potential move to United would probably make him more of a prospect for the future, most-likely limited to Under-23s games.
Nevertheless, the forward looks to be on his way out of PAOK for a more competitive league where the biggest challenges of his career await.
Man Utd eye shock transfer swoop for young PAOK striker Christos Tzolis
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
