Everton talent Khalid Jankpata has rejected approaches from two national teams to fulfill his dream of wearing the Italian shirt.
The 18-year-old midfielder, who came through the Toffees youth set-up after trials with Brescia and Atalanta, made his debut for the Azzurri in Wednesday’s Under-19 match against Austria.
Jankupata is regarded as a player to watch in Everton’s youth system and has featured regularly for the Under-21s this season, playing more than 600 minutes in Premier League 2.
Gianluca Di Marzio details how Jankupata dreams of playing for the Italian national team and took the decision to reject offers from Togo and Benin in order to realize his dream of wearing the Azzurri shirt talk.
The 18-year-old was born in Togo to parents from Benin, but moved to Milan when he was nine months old, growing up in the Lombardy capital before moving to England for Everton.
A few years ago, Jankupata visited the training ground of the Benin national team, and last month Togo called him up to the Under-23 squad. In both cases, he politely rejected their offers.
#junkpata e il sogno azzurro: rifiuta due nazionali per l’Italia https://t.co/8mamNKhzSa
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 16, 2024