Featured in just 3 minutes in the Bundesliga! Al-Ittihad prepares a surprise winter signing from the German league

He is 21 years old.

Al-Ittihad are keeping tabs on a young French defender plying his trade in Germany, with a view to a January swoop, according to a report on Sunday.

The Saudi side have set their sights on Leipzig's Abdoul Kone for the upcoming winter window, as revealed by the "Foot Mercato" website.

The 21-year-old centre-back has barely featured since arriving at Leipzig. That lack of game time could pave the way for an exit in January.

Leipzig signed Kone from Stade Reims last January in a deal worth 21 million euros, then loaned him straight back to the French club for the rest of the season.

At Reims, he made 28 appearances in the French second division, developing his game before moving to Germany last summer.

Things have not clicked in Germany. He has managed just one match for Leipzig this season, a three-minute cameo against Elversberg on 24 October in a crushing 4-0 league win.

That situation has put Al-Ittihad on alert, and the Saudi club are weighing up a move as early as next January.

Kone has represented France at under-20 level, winning four caps, though he also holds Ivorian nationality.