A German court has officially ruled that the allegations around Youssoufa Moukoko’s age can now be reported on.
The Dortmund youngster has been embroiled in some controversy stemming from a document alleging that the player is four years older (than 18).
“It’s been an interesting week for Yousouffa Moukoko. Chelsea and Newcastle United were interested in the player, though there were rumours around the latter not wanting him due to the allegations in terms of his age,” Christian Falk exclusively revealed in his latest Substack column for CaughtOffside.
“Now, a German court decided that the media is allowed to report about that. Before, there were just rumours but now journalists are allowed to ask the question ‘is he four years older?’ So this is very interesting for England because the rumours had been there.
“In my point of view, I saw the document which says he’s four years older. It’s not been proven that it’s a true and authentic document but now we can discuss ‘is he four years older? That could be the case.’
“I say that, at his current age, it’s not that important because he’s still young. If you give him a four or five-year contract he’s still the right age. Of course, it’s a question of education; how much better could he get if he’s 18 or 22, or at least 26/27 at the end of his contract? I think English clubs are keeping a closer eye on Moukoko and, in particular, this big question.”
It’s unclear still as to the authenticity and veracity of the allegations, though BVB are understood to remain firmly behind the footballer they successfully offered a long-term contract to amid reported interest from the Premier League and La Liga.
One has to question just how much top European outfits will be put off by the prospect of the forward being 22 years of age when still possessing significant quality.
Having already registered 12 goal contributions in 26 games (across all competitions), Moukoko’s impact in the German top-flight certainly can’t be questioned.
Ultimately, though important developmental years would be lost if the player’s age is successfully challenged, the striker still has plenty of years left to reach the full extent of his potential, whether that be in Germany or abroad.
