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Chelsea are eyeing a young talent | Getty Images
Chelsea are said to be willing to outbid Liverpool and Manchester United in a transfer race.
Chelsea are now said to be muscling in on a race to sign one of the most exciting young Championship stars. The Blues have placed plenty of emphasis on signing young talent over recent years, signing young players with big potential and room for value growth.
That model allows Chelsea to either save on future transfer fees or achieve big profits on sales, and it’s a model that is sustainable as far as Financial Fair Play is concerned, with the model largely based on gross profit.
Chelsea have had success in South America of late, but it seems their latest attempt to sign a young star could be much closer to home. According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are now pursuing a deal for young Sheffield Wednesday talent Yisa Alao.
Alao is an 17-year-old left-back who has broken into the Wednesday first team this season, making five appearances for the club at senior level. Though, it would seem a number of top clubs have been watching his progress for the Hillsborough side’s under-21s.
According to the report, Manchester United have already offered £400,000 plus add-ons, while Liverpool are also said to have made an offer. Chelsea, meanwhile, are reportedly willing to offer £600,000 plus bonuses in a bid to win the transfer race.
The Blues will be well aware that Wednesday are likely to choose the highest bidder given their concerning financial situation, and the Owls are headed to League One following a points deduction and a campaign that has yielded just one league win so far.
Though, Chelsea may need to convince Alao of his path at the club, with a spot in the under-21s likely for now, while loan spells are also likely to play a role in his development as he eyes a future first-team spot. That’s likely to be the case at all three of the interested clubs.
Alao’s phased first team introduction
Speaking to the Sheffield Star earlier this month, Wednesday boss Henrik Pederson spoke about Alao’s phased introduction to the first team after one of the defender’s senior appearances.
”He had a period after [his last start] where he was injured and then he came back,” Pedersen said. “I decided no matter what, he should start this game and, yes, I think he played a really, really good game.”
The Owls boss added: “It has always been planned that he should be integrated more and more and more because he should be a fixed part of the squad from next season.”
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