Chelsea will step-up their attempts to sign Montpellier striker Elye Wahi after agreeing a deal worth £24m to sign Rennes midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, according to renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano.
The Blues’ move for the 19-year-old came as a surprise with the club keen on bringing Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo. Ugochukwu is set to undergo his medical and put pen to paper on a long-term contract with the West Londoners after a deal was agreed between the two clubs.
It’s unknown if he will leave Chelsea on loan or be added to the first-team squad ahead of next season. Fabrizio Romano claims that Chelsea’s main priority now is to continue negotiations for Wahi in the next few days in bid to agree terms with Montpellier.
It’s believed that if everything goes through the 20-year-old will join Strasbourg – who are owned by Chelsea’s owner Todd Boehly – on a season-long loan deal. Montpellier have already turned down the London club’s first offer with the Ligue 1 side valuing the highly-rated striker at £30m.
Wahi is regarded as one of the best talents in France, scoring 32 goals and providing nine assists in 91 games for Montpellier since moving to the club. Last season, he netted 19 goals and recorded six assists in 33 appearances across all competitions.
One for the future
Mauricio Pochettino is keen on building a formidable squad for the future and has set his sights on signing young and hungry talents this summer. He has already brought in Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku – both under the age of 26. They could blossom to become two of the best forwards in the world under the tutelage of Pochettino.
His love for young players was well documented during his stay at Tottenham Hotspur. The former PSG manager turned the likes of Harry Kane and Dele Alli into global superstars and many other players at Spurs during his time at the club.
He is expected to achieve the same feat at Stamford Bridge so it’s no surprise to see him going after a talent like Wahi – who has the potential to develop into a top class forward at Chelsea.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are keen to get a deal done as soon as possible as two other clubs are trying to sign the youngster.
We’ll have to wait and see how things develop but it looks as though Chelsea are hoping to complete a double swoop that may cost around £54m for Wahi and Ugochukwu over the coming days.
Read more: Report: Chelsea now preparing move for 23yo international star, £48m deal could be agreed
