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Moise Kean: Who is the rising Juve star attracting interest from PL suitors?

  /  autty

Moise Kean is one of the exciting young players in the world; an Italian international, Serie A champion and important figure in the fight against racism, while still in his teens.

Sportsmail takes a look at the dynamic forward who has been linked with a move to the Premier League.

WHO IS MOISE KEAN?

Tipped to be the future of Italian football. A powerful and skilful striker, 19-year-old Kean scored seven times for champions Juventus last season and has already won three caps for Roberto Mancini's Italy, scoring twice in European Championship qualifiers against Finland and Liechtenstein in March.

Super-agent Mino Raiola can spot a prospect and he snapped up Kean (pronounced Cay-an) early to join Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba in his stable.

WHAT'S HIS PLAYING STYLE?

Imagine Marcus Rashford with Mario Balotelli's physique. Kean, whose idol growing up was Balotelli, can play anywhere on the front line and can physically bully defenders or beat them with a trick. He also scores his share of straightforward goals by being in the right place inside the penalty area. Oh, and we should mention the blistering pace too.

He's been under the spotlight since becoming the first player born in the 21st Century to feature in the Champions League, when he played for Juventus against Sevilla, aged just 16. Long-term, Mancini thinks he'll develop into a bona fide centre-forward, though for now he often plays out wide. Think Kylian Mbappe, capable of a dragback or flick to get himself clear of a defender and can produce extravagant finishes. He's the youngest Italian ever to score in consecutive internationals.

At one stage last season, he also boasted the best goal-to-minutes ratio in the big European leagues though he struggled in the last couple of months and didn't score in the Under 21s European Championship either when Italy disappointed on home soil.

ITALIAN FOOTBALL HAS A PROBLEM WITH RACISM

Like Raheem Sterling, Kean wasn't intending to become a spokesman for black footballers but has become an important figure in the fight against abuse.

Born in Italy to a father from Ivory Coast, Kean reacted to racist chanting by Cagliari fans in April by scoring a goal against them and then celebrating by holding his arms aloft in front of his abusers.

He posted a message on social media: 'The best way to respond to racism' and the incident raised national awareness about the issue. Juventus defender Leonardo Bonnucci was criticised for suggesting his team-mate should have held his emotions in check.

CAN KEAN FULFILL HIS GREAT PROMISE?

He's been getting advice from Balotelli - but that's not as bad as it sounds. 'He (Balotelli) doesn't not want me to live what he's been through,' explains Kean. Cristiano Ronaldo has been another good role model in Turin, and nobody maximised their potential better than CR7.

Growing up pains, he was once sent home from an Italian Under 19s camp for an unwise practical joke, seem to have already replaced by a new maturity.

Azzurri boss Mancini fears that Juve's power might restrict Kean's progress. New manager Maurizio Sarri currently has Ronaldo, Paulo Dybala, Douglas Costa, Mario Mandzukic, Gonzalo Higuain, Juan Cuadrado and Federico Bernardeschi on the books and has been linked with Mauro Icardi.

Just five of Kean's 16 Serie A appearances have been as a starter and Mancini says: 'He has no space in Juventus. If he's going to play in another team, we'll see an awesome striker.'

SO, HE MAY BE AVAILABLE AND COMING TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE?

It would be a big call for Juve to sell 'one of their own', an academy prospect with huge potential. But like Callum Hudson-Odoi at Chelsea, Kean will be frustrated at a lack of regular first-team opportunities. He only has a year left on his contract with no indication he's going to sign another, and that gives the 'Old Lady' a big decision to make this summer.

Everton have been strongly linked with a £30million offer though no official bid has yet been tabled. Juventus will try and have a buy-back clause in place if they do let him go.

Related: JuventusKean