Iranian professional footballer Sardar Azmoun has been linked with a move to Sport Lisboa e Benfica professional football team, which plays in the top flight of Portuguese football, the Primeira Liga.

According to a report published by the Persian-language ISNA news agency, the Lisbon-based team, which is currently the Portuguese champions and has won three consecutive titles, is trying to sign the 21-year-old Iranian, who currently plays as a striker for Rubin Kazan in the Russian Premier League and the national Iranian men’s soccer team.

Rubin Kazan has, however, set a seven-million-euro release clause for Azmoun.

Sardar Azmoun has been praised for his aerial ability, creativity, and bursts of acceleration. He has been referred to as a young Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Ibrahimovic is a Swedish professional footballer, who played for French club Paris Saint-Germain, and captain for the Sweden national team.

Azmoun has also been called the Iranian Messi by mainly British media.

On Thursday, Azmoun netted a hat trick for the national Iranian football team in a friendly match against Macedonia at the multi-purpose National Arena Philip II of Macedonia stadium in Skopje.

The Rubin Kazan striker opened the scoring for the visitors only eight minutes into the game. However, 23-year-old Macedonian footballer Aleksandar Trajkovski, who currently plays for Italian club Palermo, netted the equalizer only after two minutes.

Azmoun scored a brace in the 20th minute and completed his hat trick on the hour mark.