'Ajax face stiff competition in battle for top talent with Moroccan roots'

Ajax are interested in Ilyas Houira, Danish outlet Tipsbladet reported on Tuesday. But the talented midfielder is also on the radar of several top European clubs, so it's still unclear whether he will end up in Amsterdam.

Borussia Dortmund, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and FC Barcelona are all tracking the 15-year-old FC Copenhagen midfielder closely. Houira joined from AGF earlier this year and signed a deal until mid-2029.

Scouts from those clubs have already travelled to Denmark to take a closer look at the in-demand Houira. The Danish newspaper adds that clubs in Spain and France are interested too.

Before he signed for FC Copenhagen, Ajax, Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund and Barcelona were already keeping tabs on the midfielder. Whether the top talent now decides to make the move to the very highest level remains to be seen.

As well as Danish citizenship, Houira also holds a Moroccan passport and was recently called up by Morocco Under-17s. Last summer, the playmaker made his first appearance for Morocco Under-16s.

Still waiting for his FC Copenhagen first-team debut, the midfielder linked with Ajax already plays and trains with older talents at the Danish top club.

Reports in Denmark claim the Danish FA are unhappy that Houira is playing youth internationals for Morocco. But as long as he does not have a Danish passport, Denmark's football association can do little about it.