Chelsea were interested in signing James Maddison this summer but opted not to pursue a deal because of his age, paving the way for the England forward to join London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, according to Football Insider.
The online news portal claims that the Blues and Mauricio Pochettino were huge admirers of Maddison, but decided against a deal as they didn’t want to sign players who were over the age of 25.
The West Londoners’ policy of recruiting young players saw them turn down the chance to make a move for Maddison, who went on to complete a £40m transfer from Leicester City to Spurs.
Maddison has made an impressive start to his Tottenham career by helping Ange Postecoglou’s side pick up 10 points from their first four league games of the new season as they currently sit 2nd in the table, just two points behind defending champions Manchester City.
The 26-year-old has featured in five matches for Tottenham across all competitions, scored two goals, and provided two assists in the process. He has formed a deadly partnership with club captain Son Heung-min.
The England has forged a reputation as one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League. He helped Leicester claim the Emirates FA Cup for the first time in their history in 2021 by beating Chelsea in the final.
Young targets
Maddison could have ended up at Chelsea but that fact he was 26 ruled him out as a serious target. The Blues were one of the busiest sides in the summer window as they spent around £450m on 13 players, with average age of the new arrivals just 20.5.
Despite all their signings, the London-based club have struggled to churn out positive results so far in the league. Chelsea have won only one game in their first four league matches, which came against newly-promoted Luton Town. Pochettino’s side slumped to a shock loss to Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
With the transfer window now shut down, Chelsea will have to wait until January to make new signings. Alternatively, they could dip into the free agent market with former attacker Eden Hazard linked with a return to West London after leaving Real Madrid.
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