Chelsea are lining up a move for Malian Under-17 international Seydou Dembele, according to reports.
The Daily Mail claim that the Blues have been “keen” on the teenager for months, but his performances at the Under-17 World Cup have seen him receive even more attention.
Dembele caught the eye with his performance in the opening group match against New Zealand, where he scored and provided an assist during a 3-0 win.
The 17-year-old would go on to score 1 more goal against Zambia (in the last 32) as well as contributing 3 more assists before Mali were knocked out at the round of 16 stage by Morocco.
A Premier League rival also wants Dembele
It is believed that Manchester United have been scouting the attacking midfielder as well, following his exploits at international level.
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Dembele is currently at the JMG Academy Bamako in his home country, and English teams will have to wait until he turns 18 in February before snapping him up.
That means the youngster won’t be joining either Chelsea or United at the turn of the year, but they could potentially reach a pre-agreement ahead of a transfer next summer.
Chelsea could send him to France
If the Blues do end up securing the services of Dembele, it is unlikely that he would become part of Enzo Maresca‘s first-team squad straight away. For one thing, he has no experience of playing in Europe and he will need time to develop his game.
Strasbourg would probably be an ideal place for the Malian to learn his trade. He can speak the same language and play in a league which is not as physically demanding.
Other players, like Andrey Santos, have taken similar paths and have gone on to play matches for Chelsea. We shall see how this transfer story develops.
Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here