Liverpool and Southampton Fall At First Hurdle In Chase For Belgian Talent
Inter Milan have rejected overtures from Liverpool and Southampton for young Belgian defender Zinho Vanheusden.
Vanheusden, who turns 18 on Saturday, travelled with the Inter squad for their pre-season tour of China after earning rave reviews for his performances in the youth teams last season.
The youngster also reportedly emerged on the radar of Liverpool, who have been keeping close tabs on his performances, and even Southampton have been keen on the player this summer.
It has been claimed Liverpool and Southampton contacted Inter to discuss the possibility of signing him, but according to Belgian daily Het Nieuwsblad, Inter have firmly shut the door in their faces.
The Nerazzurri didn’t take kindly to the Premier League duo’s attempts to unsettle the youngster and have made it clear Vanheusden is not available in the market.
The Serie A giants have high hopes for the 18-year-old defender going forward and are in no mood to see one of their brightest young talents leave the club at this stage.
A Belgium Under-19 international, the defender has a contract until 2019 with the Nerazzurri.
He also skippered Belgium’s Under-18 team on the international stage.