Earlier today, the72 reported that Leeds United and Nottingham Forest faced stiff competition from European sides Lazio and Benfica to sign former Newcastle United winger Yasin Ben El-Mhanni.
It has been a bad day for Leeds United, after a deal to sign Matej Vydra collapsed, while Kyle Bartley and Angus Gunn edged closer to signing for other clubs, but this piece of news may be the shining light at the end of the tunnel.
However, they are not alone in their interest for Ben El-Mhanni. Lazio and Benfica are both interested, and the temptation of being able to play in the Europa League may be enough to see the English born winger move abroad.
Nottingham Forest, who have already been particularly busy this summer, are also said to be interested.
Yasin Ben El-Mhanni is a bit of an unknown quantity to many football fans at the moment, so we have tried our best to get as much information as possible about him.
Here is a look at what we found:
The 22-year-old was born in Chelsea, and spent a lot of his youth playing futsal on the streets, before he joined the AG Academy. From there, he represented both Barnet and Aldershot Town at youth level.
After failing to make the cut at either of these clubs, he played for both Farnborough and Lewes, who are both a part of the Ismithian Leagues.
Although he was playing in non-league, El-Mhanni managed to make a name for himself on youtube, with his skill videos earning him a spot in the commercials for Sports on Screen.
The winger was flown out to Spain for them, where he acted as a body double and skill consultant for both Neymar and Cristiano Ronaldo.
El-Mhanni, who is of Moroccan dissent, then got his chance with a number of Premier League clubs, and he had trials at Watford, Crystal Palace and Chelsea, to name a few.
During his time at Chelsea, he trained with the first team, and even made a few reserve team appearances, but he was never offered a proper deal.
Instead, he signed for Newcastle United, representing them twice, both in the FA Cup. He was released by the Magpies following the conclusion of his contract last month.
