Tom Weber
Tom Weber
Updated: 23 Dec 2025 20:35 GMT
4 min read
Enzo Maresca, Mikel Arteta
© IMAGO
Arsenal and Chelsea are among the clubs keeping tabs on Darryl Bakola's contract situation at Marseille, according to French media.
The 18-year-old is increasingly attracting the attention of suitors as his current deal at boyhood club Marseille expires in 2027. Bakola has broken into Roberto de Zerbi's first team this season, but game time still remains limited.
As a result, it is currently unclear if he will sign a new contract with the Ligue 1 giants. Marseille have made the teenager a "concrete" offer to extend his deal, and they expect a decision by the end of the winter break, according to Foot Mercato.
Should Bakola opt to reject the offer, Marseille would listen to bids in January and the summer to avoid losing him for nothing in 2027. The report claims that Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, Newcastle and Stuttgart are all monitoring the situation.
Bakola isn't the only young player Arenal and Chelsea are looking to sign in 2026. The two London rivals are also currently both in the race to sign Genk wonderkid Konstantinos Karetsas and Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Who is Darryl Bakola?
Bakola has to date made 10 senior appearances for Marseille, eight of them coming this season. However, game time has still been hard to come by as he has primarily been a substitute.
He has played just 114 minutes of first-team football this term, with his only start surprisingly coming against Newcastle in the Champions League. He caught the eye in that game, notching his only assist to date.
Darryl Bakola
© IMAGO - Darryl Bakola
Bakola is a versatile midfielder who likes to play on the front foot and get involved in the attack. Marseille believe that by handing him his Champions League debut, they made it abundantly clear that he is the future of the club. Whether the player agrees remains to be seen.
Should Chelsea decide to act on their interest in Bakola, the idea would be to initially park him at sister club Strasbourg. This would allow the teenager to remain and mature in France before heading to Stamford Bridge further down the line.
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