Everton face a battle for talented England U17s goalkeeper Douglas Lukjanciks… with top European sides and Premier League rivals circling ahead of the summer window
- The 16-year-old will join the Toffees academy as a scientist this summer
- Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa are among his candidates
- England’s 2004 European Championship team were great on paper, but they didn’t win. Can this crop do it this summer? Listen to the It all starts podcast
Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen are among a group of top European clubs interested in signing England Under-17 goalkeeper Douglas Lukjanciks this summer.
The 16-year-old Everton stopper has dual citizenship due to his Latvian heritage and this has opened up opportunities on the continent.
Leverkusen, German rivals RB Leipzig and French club Marseille have all eyed Lukjanciks, who is regarded as one of England’s most promising goalkeepers and has often played above his age group, including with the national team and Everton Under-18s.
But it’s not just foreign clubs circling, with Tottenham, Aston Villa and Southampton regularly eyeing the youngster.
Lukjanciks, who will finish school this summer, will join Everton’s academy as a scholar in July, but interest from home and abroad could still see him continue his career elsewhere.
That would be a blow to the Toffees, who have identified him as a future first-team goalkeeper.
Douglas Lukjanciks has attracted a lot of attention from across Europe, as well as from Everton’s rivals
The England U17 prospect (pictured in September 2023) has often trained beyond his years