Every year, a new crop of youngsters stakes a claim to their club’s starting XIs. Here, theScore selects 10 players 21 and under who could make a significant impact in Europe this season.

Mohamed Simakan

• Age: 21
• Club: RB Leipzig
• Position: Center-back

RB Leipzig beat AC Milan to the signing of center-back Simakan from FC Strasbourg, securing Dayot Upamecano’s replacement just a month after allowing him to join Bayern Munich. Simakan’s exceptional pace, aggressive play, and versatility make him the ideal defender for Leipzig’s high-octane football. He’d also fit well in a back-three, which Leipzig used on many occasions last season. Few defenders in his age group can progress the ball as well as Simakan.

Billy Gilmour

• Age: 20
• Club: Norwich City (on loan from Chelsea)
• Position: Central midfielder

As long as he stays fit, Gilmour will earn significant top-flight minutes for the first time in his career. The midfielder sat out most of last season with a serious knee injury, but he showed veteran poise in Chelsea’s midfield before that, controlling and dictating play in a limited number of appearances. He was named man of the match in Scotland’s goalless draw against England at Euro 2020 for a similarly composed display. He’ll now have a chance to star for Norwich in 2021-22 under a manager who demands his kind of progressive football in Daniel Farke.

Joe Willock

• Age: 21
• Club: Arsenal
• Position: Central midfielder

Newcastle United reportedly agreed to sign Willock from Arsenal for around £20 million, permanently securing a player who starred for them while on loan last season. Willock scored goals in each of his last seven games, helping the Magpies avoid relegation with his dynamic play and progressive ball-carrying in midfield. Willock is four games short of tying Jamie Vardy’s record for the longest scoring streak in Premier League history, and Newcastle boss Steve Bruce will likely lean heavily on him this coming season.

Harvey Elliott

• Age: 18
• Club: Liverpool
• Position: Right-winger

Elliott looks ready to make inroads at Liverpool after recording seven goals and 11 assists while on loan at Championship side Blackburn Rovers last season. Jurgen Klopp isn’t known for rotating his squad – he was hesitant to make significant changes during the 2020-21 campaign – but Elliott could be a suitable stand-in for Mohamed Salah when necessary. Klopp has also tested Elliott in a deeper midfield role, suggesting the Fulham product could team up with 20-year-old midfielder Curtis Jones to help replace Georginio Wijnaldum.

Jeremy Doku

• Age: 19
• Club: Stade Rennes
• Position: Right-winger

Doku is the latest youngster to take the road less traveled to secure playing time. He could have signed with a bigger team than Rennes, but the opportunity to play regularly was paramount. His first season in France was full of ups and downs – not unusual for a teenager trying to harness his electrifying ability. But Roberto Martinez showed faith in the Belgian youngster, handing him his international debut last September before calling upon him against Italy in the Euro 2020 quarterfinals. Doku’s direct runs frightened Italy’s backline, creating more problems for the eventual champions than any single opponent in the tournament. His time to shine has come.

Noni Madueke

• Age: 19
• Club: PSV Eindhoven
• Position: Right-winger

Madueke notched seven goals and four assists last season despite making most of his 24 appearances off the bench. Imagine what he could do with a full season of starts. He’ll have that opportunity in the coming campaign with former PSV playmaker Donyell Malen now at Borussia Dortmund. Madueke began with a brace in a 4-0 rout of Ajax in the Dutch Super Cup on Saturday. His first goal was a beauty, the culmination of a dominant run into the area. Madueke has been linked with a return to Tottenham Hotspur after spending time with the club as a youth player, but PSV would be wise to keep him for another season.

Liam Delap

• Age: 18
• Club: Manchester City
• Position: Forward

Pep Guardiola could turn to Delap – one of City’s standout academy players last season with 24 goals in the development league – if the club can’t afford to sign Harry Kane. Delap scored his first senior goal for City in a third-round Carabao Cup victory over Bournemouth last September and also made his Premier League debut. He has incredible strength for a teenager, and he’s an efficient ball-striker. His lack of discipline remains an issue, but his instincts in front of goal could convince Guardiola to keep him around the first team.

Giacomo Raspadori

• Age: 21
• Club: Sassuolo
• Position: Forward

It’s been a transformative few months for Raspadori. In April, the 21-year-old captained Sassuolo, the club he joined as a nine-year-old, and scored a brace off the bench in a win over Milan. He finished the season strong and convinced Roberto Mancini to call him up to Italy’s Euro 2020 squad, earning a winner’s medal. Though he’s relatively short for someone in his position, he makes up for any height disadvantage with his quickness in tight spaces. Look for the forward to kick on and break the 10-goal mark for the first time in his career.

Brian Brobbey

• Age: 19
• Club: RB Leipzig
• Position: Striker

Brobbey is expected to be Leipzig’s long-term replacement for Timo Werner, an intelligent and mobile striker who can play anywhere across the front line. The Dutchman thrived at the youth level, scoring 84 goals in 103 games with Ajax’s academy sides. Brobbey’s top-flight experience is relatively limited – he made just 12 league appearances with Ajax’s senior side – but the scouting report on him is glowing. The teenage forward is a livewire in the penalty area and a nightmare for defenders to mark out of the game. Brobbey’s work rate should be an asset to Leipzig, a club that demands high intensity and diligence off the ball.

Youssoufa Moukoko

• Age: 16
• Club: Borussia Dortmund
• Position: Striker

A year after becoming the Bundesliga’s youngest debutant and scorer at just 16 years old, Moukoko is in line to make more starts this season under new Dortmund coach Marco Rose. “We have to protect (his talent) and build it up carefully without slowing it down in any way,” Rose said recently. “I’m willing to encourage such good young players and to throw them into the game at some point.” Moukoko has nothing left to prove at the youth level after scoring 34 goals with Dortmund’s Under-19 squad in 2019-20, so the challenge should inspire him. Rose would also do well to groom Moukoko, who could replace Erling Haaland should he leave next summer.

Lionel Messi is ready to accept a contract from Paris Saint-Germain and will travel to undergo a medical with the French club, according to The Guardian’s Fabrizio Romano.

Talks between Messi’s father, Jorge, and PSG started on Thursday – the day Barcelona confirmed Messi would be leaving Catalonia – and an official contract offer was submitted to the superstar on Sunday.

Messi’s PSG deal will reportedly last two years with an option for a third. He’s set to link up with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in Mauricio Pochettino’s attack.

The Argentine was in tears while confirming his departure from Barcelona earlier on Sunday. Staying at Barcelona was what he and his family “wanted more than anything,” the 34-year-old said, before adding that joining PSG was now a “possibility.”

Messi moved to Barcelona when he was 13 and went on to win 35 trophies with the club, including 10 La Liga titles and four Champions League crowns. However, the attacker’s salary meant the club’s wage bill far exceeded its income, making his position untenable.

Even Messi’s reduced demands – he was reportedly willing to accept a 50% pay cut to extend his stay by five years – weren’t enough to reach a deal.

“The situation we have inherited is abominable,” said Joan Laporta, who returned for a second tenure as Barcelona’s president last November.

La Liga’s salary limit also forced Barcelona’s hand, with the cap for last season set at €382.7 million. Barcelona’s annual wage bill was €671 million before the coronavirus pandemic hit, and the club’s overall debt currently stands at around €1.173 billion.

Meanwhile, Qatari-owned PSG seemingly have bottomless reserves of cash. In addition to partnering with Neymar and Mbappe, Messi will join a club awash with lavishly paid stars. Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijnaldum, and Achraf Hakimi have all arrived in the French capital this summer, joining the likes of Angel Di Maria, Marco Verratti, Mauro Icardi, and Marquinhos.

PSG are desperately pursuing their first triumphant Champions League campaign after losing in the final and being eliminated at the semifinal stage over the past two terms. They surrendered the Ligue 1 title to Lille in 2020-21, but PSG collected silverware in the Coupe de France.

The team opened its latest Ligue 1 season with Saturday’s scrappy 2-1 victory at Troyes. PSG next face Strasbourg, Brest, and Stade de Reims in the French top flight.

He’s really leaving.

Lionel Messi will not renew his contract with Barcelona, ending the Argentine icon’s remarkable spell in Catalonia that spanned over 20 years, the club announced on Thursday.

The 34-year-old has been a free agent since his deal expired on June 30, and can sign with any team of his choice.

“Despite FC Barcelona and Lionel Messi having reached an agreement and the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, this cannot happen because of financial and structural obstacles (Spanish Liga regulations),” the La Liga side said in a brief statement.

“As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.”

Messi, who famously tried to engineer a move away from the Camp Nou last year, softened his stance recently and was open to extending his contract; he reportedly agreed to a new five-year deal in July that would have reduced his massive €138-million annual salary by 50%.

But Barcelona’s crippling financial issues thwarted the club’s ability to register the deal with La Liga, which imposes a salary cap on its teams. Barca, who for many years have spent recklessly in the transfer market, have racked up an enormous €1.173 billion in debt.

The club has been desperately trying to lower its wage bill this summer and resorted to free transfers to bolster the squad and satiate Messi’s desire to remain competitive during the twilight of his career. Instead, the additions of Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay – and their wages – may actually have contributed in some way to Messi’s departure.

Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City have been linked with a potential move for the star forward since he made his discontent known. Messi has ties to both clubs, with former teammate Neymar in the French capital and Manchester City managed by ex-Barca coach Pep Guardiola.

Messi joined Barcelona from Newell’s Old Boys as a 13-year-old and departs as the club’s all-time leading scorer with 672 goals in 778 matches. Among an incredible haul of 34 trophies, he helped the Blaugrana win 10 league titles and four Champions League crowns.

Regarded by many as the best footballer on the planet, Messi has captured the Ballon d’Or a record six times, and is the top scorer in La Liga history.