Chelsea are currently ‘obsessed’ with signing RB Leipzig midfielder Assan Ouedraogo, but will have to compete for his contract with one of their Premier League rivals.
The Blues are currently second in the Premier League thanks to Saturday’s 2-0 win over Burnley at Turf Moor, but Gary Neville believes they are still a long way from becoming genuine title contenders.
A Sky Sports pundit said: “They’ve got a lot of young players and they’re spending a lot of money, but it’s probably not happening as quickly as they would like. (And) to be honest, I don’t think they’re anywhere near a team that can win the league. When you look at them, they look pretty lacking in a lot of areas.”
As Neville pointed out, the Blues have relied heavily on young players during his time with Blueco, and last season he broke the record for the youngest average starter in the Premier League.
However, the west London outfit have not yet changed their recruitment policy and are now in the race to sign another young midfielder.
Chelsea ‘obsessed’ with signing Assan Ouedraogo
In an update reported to X by Sky Sports’ correspondent Florian Plettenberg, it has been revealed that Chelsea are one of the Premier League clubs along with Man United who are “enthusiastic” to sign RB Leipzig midfielder Ouedraogo.
Both English teams are currently scouting the 19-year-old, who is under contract with the Bundesliga club until 2029, and his main ambition is to secure a place in Germany’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
The central midfielder’s contract runs until 2029 and there is no release clause, so it is unclear how much the Blues will have to pay their targeted youngster next summer.
The Germany star could have a chance to feature in next year’s World Cup, given how he impressed on his debut for his country in the 6-0 win over Slovakia in the recent international break.
Not only that, but the Leipzig star would be a versatile option for Julian Nagelsmann given that he can play in five positions: on both wings, central midfield, attacking midfield and even centre-forward.
The former Schalke player has had an excellent start to the season in the Bundesliga, scoring three goals and providing three assists in 11 games, and has performed very well in several key attacking metrics over the past year.
Assan Ouédraogo’s main statistics (past year) | Average around 90 |
non-penalty goal | 0.48 (99th percentile) |
assist | 0.48 (99th percentile) |
progressive carry | 2.58 (94th percentile) |
successful take-up | 1.77 (99th percentile) |
Ouédraogo could therefore be a great addition for Chelsea next summer, and Chelsea will need to continue to monitor his development from now until the end of the season.
Chelsea are also targeting one of the Premier League’s ‘best’ midfielders
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Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing the Premier League star, who is valued at up to £120 million.
