Chelsea have won the race to sign an in-demand left-back from the Championship - with several Premier League clubs having shown an interestplaceholder image
Chelsea have won the race to sign an in-demand left-back from the Championship - with several Premier League clubs having shown an interest | Getty Images
Chelsea have won the race to sign an in-demand left-back from the Championship - with several Premier League clubs having shown an interest
Chelsea have won the race to sign young Sheffield Wednesday defender Yisa Alao with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Liverpool missing out on a deal.
Reports earlier this month claimed Liverpool had made an official bid of £450,000 for the 17-year-old left-back, who made his first Championship start last weekend in 1-0 loss against Portsmouth.
Providing an update on the transfer in the last 24 hours, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said a deal has now been agreed between Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday.
He said on X: “Chelsea agree deal to sign talented 17 year old fullback Yisa Alao from Sheffield Wednesday, here we go! Initial fee over £500k plus heavy add-ons. Chelsea beat 3 more PL top clubs to the signing.”
Sheffield Wednesday are bottom of the Championship after entering administration earlier in the season. They have been deducted 18 points in total and still have minus seven points with 19 games remaining.
The Owls will be reluctant to lose Alao but advanced discussions were being held earlier this week about the inclusion of ‘hefty’ add-ons in the deal. It is something referenced by Romano, as the total deal could hit seven figures if bonuses are triggered.
Speaking on Alao after he played in a Carabao Cup loss to Grimsby, Wednesday boss Henrik Pedersen said via The Star earlier in the season: “As soon as he came on, they tried to bring extra people to his side.
“But he grew through the battle and wow. One of the important skills you need to have as a young player is to adapt; to adapt to the level, to new players and to everything. It was really, really good.
“He is a great young player. Wow. We have to be very careful with him. Just to have a normal training week at a Championship level is very tough for him.”
Chelsea have been linked with 20-year-old defender Jeremy Jacquet this month too as they eye more reinforcements to their backline.
Asked about the reported interest, Chelsea boss Liam Rosenior refused to be drawn on the speculation. He said ahead of their Champions League win over Pafos: “You'll know about me, I don't speak about players at other clubs until something is agreed with any player.
“I think it's so disrespectful. If I was a manager of another team and a manager was speaking about my player, I wouldn't be a happy person. So whether it's true or whether it's not, I'll speak about that at the right time.”
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