Chelsea have expressed interest in signing highly rated English winger Jonathan Rowe from Bologna this summer, according to Italian outlet Il Resto del Carlino.
Rowe came through the ranks at the Norwich academy, where he featured for the U18s through to the U23s. He caught the attention while with the U23s and was handed his first-team debut by former manager Dean Smith, coming on in the 68th minute in a 3-0 loss to Crystal Palace on 28 December 2021.
While he went on to feature 13 times in the Premier League, it was in the Championship that Rowe established himself as one of the most promising English prospects.
His first notable success was the August 2023 EFL Young Player of the Month before going on to win the January 2024 Sky Bet Championship Goal of the Month and Norwich City’s Etty Smith Young Player of the Season 2023/24 after netting 12 goals.
He went on to join Marseille the following summer, but an underwhelming spell in Ligue 1 led to a move to Bologna, where he has since rediscovered his form, leading to keen interest from several clubs.
One of the clubs showing interest in Rowe is Chelsea, according to Il Resto del Carlino, which claims that the London giants have made contact with the winger’s camp over his potential transfer to Stamford Bridge this summer.
With Alejandro Garnacho expected to depart amid keen interest from AS Roma, the 23-year-old has been earmarked as his potential replacement, the report adds.
With his contract at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara running until 2029, the Italian outlet adds that Bologna would demand a fee between £34m and £38m for Rowe, who is also of keen interest to Chelsea’s Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
Last season, Garnacho netted just one Premier League goal and eight in 43 appearances across all competitions.
Should he depart, replacing him with a winger capable of providing a higher goalscoring output would make sense, and Rowe does not appear to be that option.
The London-born England U21 international has not netted more than three league goals and is yet to hit double figures in goals in each of his last two seasons since leaving Norwich.
As such, Chelsea should instead consider other goal-threatening forwards as they head into a crucial, defining 2026-27 season under Xabi Alonso.
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