According to a report by Globoesporte, 79 clubs from 18 countries sent their representatives to Brazil to monitor the outstanding talents at the recently concluded FIFA U17 World Cup in which five-time world champions Nigeria crashed out in the round of 16 after they were beaten 3-1 by the Netherlands. 

FIFA reserved 1,423 tickets for scouts covering the competition and the most scouts at a single game was 80, for Brazil's 2-0 win vs Angola in the group stage.

Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Leeds United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Watford talent spotters watched the games.

Golden Eaglets hat-trick hero against Ecuador, Ibrahim Said has been linked with Liverpool and Man City, while Samson Tijani, Akinkunmi Amoo and Olakunle Olusegun are believed to be on the radar of the Premier League champions.

Manu Garba's team failed to gel as a unit during the tournament in Brazil but the aforementioned players put in strong individual displays and are the ones attracting the most interest from European clubs.

Former European champions Inter Milan, Juventus, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Feyenoord, Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Porto and Benfica all had scouts present in Brazil.

Anderlecht saw the match between Nigeria and Ecuador, and captain Tijani has been identified as a potential target.

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