Chelsea ‘already planning’ exit for 19-goal Wahi before completing £28m transfer

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Chelsea have already spent over £120million specifically on players under the age of 21 to build their squad for the future, and it appears the Blues have found another gem to add to their ranks with Montpellier starlet Elye Wahi. Mauricio Pochettino has seemingly cooled his interest in searching for a new central striker and the club are making plans to give the Argentine a potential star for the future by negotiating a deal for Wahi.

Wahi bagged 19 goals and laid on six assists in Ligue 1 last season after an impressive breakout season with the French side. The 20-year-old has emerged as one of France’s brightest talents and has courted interest from a multitude of clubs, including Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal.

However, RMC Sport claim Chelsea are leading the race to sign the highly-rated forward and talks will take place ‘in the coming days’ in an attempt to finalise a deal.

It is mentioned Chelsea could pay around £28million including bonuses for Wahi before loaning him to Strasbourg for the 2023-24 season, although Crystal Palace are also in the hunt to clinch the youngster’s signature.

READ MORE Chelsea set to launch bid for ‘Kante’s little brother’ after Arsenal interest[GOSSIP]

The same report claims Wahi is yet to be convinced about moving to Strasbourg, who avoided relegation by finishing 15th in Ligue 1, while Montpellier secured 12th place. But the opportunity to potentially play in the Premier League from 2024 onwards could be too tempting to turn down.

Todd Boehly’s recent acquisition of the Ligue 1 club means the Blues now have a top-flight club where they can loan players to help aid their development, similar to their arrangement with Dutch club Vitesse Arnhem several years ago.

And Blues scouts will be able to provide detailed reports on whether he is good enough to play for them in the future, with other members of their growing talent pool likely to join Wahi in Alsace if he makes the switch.

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Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei, Andrey Santos, Angelo Gabriel, Kendry Paez, Ishe Samuels-Smith, Gabriel Slonina, Dujuan Richards, David Datro Fofana and Diego Moreira have all arrived since Boehly took control of the club for sizeable transfer fees, with a view to being nurtured for the club further down the line.

And while not all of them will be allowed to link up with Strasbourg due to FIFA rules, Angelo Gabriel is one player who has been tipped to head to France to gain regular first-team experience after his £15m switch from Santos.

Given that Pochettino already has Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Armando Broja able to lead the line in the No 9 position, Wahi may have to wait for his turn before pulling on the Chelsea shirt.

But if he impresses in leading the Strasbourg placement experiment, it may prove to be a bargain deal for the club.

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