Chelsea have now held talks to sign Ethan Nwaneri, with Arsenal prepared to sell the forward in the summer transfer window.
The Blues could look at strengthening their attacking options at the end of the season, given that some of last summer’s signings have failed to deliver, including Alejandro Garnacho, with Rory Jennings claiming he’s never known a “less likeable” player.
In truth, it has been a very disappointing campaign for the Blues on the whole, with it looking increasingly unlikely they will be playing European football of any description next season.
Arsenal, on the other hand, are on the brink of glory, having reached the Champions League title, and moved five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table with a 1-0 victory at West Ham United on Sunday.
Having competed on all fronts for large parts of the campaign, Mikel Arteta has needed to rotate his side at times, but Nwaneri struggled for consistent game time before joining Marseille on loan in January, featuring for just 165 minutes in the Premier League.
Arsenal prepared to sell Nwaneri this summer
As a result, the Gunners are now prepared to sell the attacking midfielder, who is also capable of playing on the wing, in the summer transfer window, and they are looking to receive around €60m (£52m).
That is according to a report from Sports Boom, which reveals Nwaneri’s agents have made contact with Chelsea and Aston Villa to gauge their interest, with the youngster keen to remain in England.
However, it remains to be seen whether BlueCo are willing to pursue a deal for the 19-year-old, who has been lauded as “unbelievable” by content creator Egal, having received major criticism for their policy of signing younger players.
Wayne Rooney slams BlueCo’s “absolutely crazy” recruitment model
It has been a tumultuous season for Chelsea, with Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior being sacked, but Wayne Rooney has suggested both managers have been done no favours by BlueCo.
“The money they spend and how they try and operate is absolutely crazy. For a player, you don’t want to be tying yourself in for that long at that club. It’s madness.
“Experience is key to any successful team and they have very young players who can be world class but when it’s tough you need to draw on your reserves and when you have been in those moments before, a lot of those players haven’t been through that and they have no experienced players to guide them through.
“With the owners, I’d put a bet on that they don’t know too much about football. They are very good business people but there’s no one there to give them guidance on football.”
Chelsea have had a major youth recruitment drive in recent windows, but a number of signings, including Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens, have struggled to hold down consistent places in the starting XI.
|
Chelsea’s recent arrivals |
Age |
Transfer fee |
|
Joao Pedro |
23 |
£60m |
|
Jamie Gittens |
20 |
£52m |
|
Alejandro Garnacho |
21 |
£40m |
|
Estevao |
18 |
£29m |
|
Jorrel Hato |
19 |
£37m |
|
Liam Delap |
22 |
£30m |
|
Dario Essugo |
20 |
£18.5m |
|
Mamadou Sarr |
19 |
£12m |
|
Kendry Paez |
18 |
£17m |
|
Facundo Buonanotte |
20 |
Loan |
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