Chelsea have spent £540m on new signings in the last two transfer windows, bringing in forwards such as Raheem Sterling, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, but the Blues are still looking to bolster their attack if reports are to be believed.
Jack Gallagher of 90min says Chelsea are interested in Samuel Iling Junior and want to bring him back to Stamford Bridge three years after selling him for just £114k. The 19-year-old has risen through the youth ranks to Juventus’ first-team, making 11 appearances in all competitions, notching two assists.
Iling Junior scored five goals with one assist from 11 games for Juve’s Next Gen, scored one goal with two assists from eight games for the U19s, and scored 14 goals with 15 assists from 58 games for the Primavera, so he’s proven himself prolific at youth level.
Whether the England U20 international would get into the Chelsea side remains to be seen, however, with Sterling, Mudryk, Madueke, Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech for competition. Iling Junior is a player for the future, but he needs playing time to continue his development. He might not get that at the Bridge.
Chelsea are 10th in the Premier League on points and 13th in the table for goals scored, so it’s undeniable that their attack has been below par. But whether Graham Potter can turn things around by the club signing endless young talent is unknown. Chelsea haven’t blooded through youth this season.
Only four teenagers have been given playing time in 2022/23, totalling just 762 minutes across the board, so Iling Junior might want to weigh up all his options if he’s to leave Juve for his former club. Manchester City and Newcastle United are reportedly interested, so they might be a more attractive proposition.
Iling Junior has a market value of £3.1m, but he’s sure to be more expensive based on his potential and how much Juve sell their promising youngsters for.
The most expensive teenager sold by the Old Lady was Moise Kean (£24.2m to Everton in 2019) while their second-most expensive teenager sold was Kingsley Coman (£18.5m to Bayern Munich in 2017). Whether Iling Junior is worth that much money based on less than a dozen first-team appearances remains to be seen.
