Man United poised to loan out Nigeria-eligible striker Chido Obi to Bundesliga side Cologne

ENGLISH Premier league giants Manchester United look set to send out on a season-long loan to German Bundesliga side Cologne Nigeria-eligible teenage striker Chido Obi during the current transfer window.

Obi, 18, who has been compared with Victor Osimhen was born of a Danish mother and  Nigerian father, in the Scandinavian city of Glostrup and is thus eligible to play for both nations. However, he has already featured for the Danish U21 side, earning two caps but is yet to decide who to play for at senior international level.

A former Arsenal schoolboy Obi enjoyed his breakout campaign last season with Man United's youth teams, scoring 20 goals in 37 appearances across the Premier League Two, FA Youth Cup, EFL Trophy, National League Cup, Premier League International Cup and U18 Premier League Management tournaments. On May 4 this year, he was named in the starting line-up for Man United's game against Brentford, the first senior start of his career, aged 17 years and 156 days, making him the youngest player to start a Premier League game for Man United.

However, Obi was unable to add to the eight senior appearances he made for Manchester United during the 2024/25 season, with the striker being an unused substitute in their Premier League clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December. According to Football Insider's Pete O'Rourke, Manchester United are in talks with German side Cologne over a potential loan deal for Obi.

Seeking more first-team opportunities, Obi is open to a loan move that would see him spend the entire 2026/27 campaign away from Old Trafford. Manchester United believe the 18-year-old would benefit from a temporary move, allowing him to gain valuable senior experience and continue his development.

Eligible to represent Denmark, Nigeria or England at international level, Obi made five appearances in late 2022 for Denmark's under-16 team, before switching allegiance to England. He represented England twice at under-16 level in February 2023, against Cyprus and Scotland.

However, in April of the same year he returned to the Danish under-16 team, scoring twice in three appearances. His prolific goal-scoring form earned him a call-up to the Denmark under-17 team and he started Denmark's 2024 Uefa European Under-17 Championship qualification campaign with two goals in his first three games.