Chelsea look to have missed out on a targetplaceholder image
Chelsea look to have missed out on a target | Getty Images
Chelsea are said to have missed out on a reported transfer target this month.
Chelsea now look set to miss out on one of their reported transfer targets as the end of the January window comes into focus. The Blues are still determined to add strength to Liam Rosenior’s line-up before the window closes, with a centre-back and midfielder the main priorities.
The Blues have been trying to sign Rennes star Jeremy Jacquet for much of the month, and those efforts are said to remain ongoing. Meanwhile, Chelsea are keeping an eye out for a cheap midfielder deal to add depth to the middle of the park, and they have already missed out on Douglas Luiz.
While the efforts to improve both of those position continues, Chelsea are always keeping an eye out for big young talents around the world having concentrated so much of their recruitment on signing youth with big potential in recent years.
According to recent reports, their next player of interest on that front was another Rennes star in Mohamed Kaider Meite, who has been a first team regular in Ligue 1 at the age of 18 this season, scoring three times and assisting twice.
But the Blues have now been beaten to the punch. Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal have now won the race, according to TeamTalk, with manager Simone Inzaghi reportedly getting involved personally to convince Meite of a deal. It’s claimed the Saudi club have offered to fast-track the striker to their first-team plans, something Chelsea likely would not have been able to offer.
Chelsea already have Joao Pedro and Liam Delap vying for starts up top, while Emanuel Emegha will arrive from sister club Strasbourg on a pre-agreed deal this summer to add more competition. With that in mind, missing out on Meite is a blow for Chelsea given their bid to land big young talents, but it’s not one they will lose too much sleep over given their recent recruitment at the position.
The blow will also be easier to accept on the count of Meite not joining another European side, and the fact Al-Hilal will be paying a premium to take him away from European football, both in terms of a fee and wages. The fee involved is said to be around £26million.
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