Over the years, Arsenal have been no strangers to signing players from Chelsea. In the past, they had Petr Cech and David Luiz. Right now, they have Jorginho and Kai Havertz, as well as Raheem Sterling on loan until the end of the season. And it looks like Mikel Arteta's side have now set their eyes on another one of the Blues' players.
Chelsea have a lot of rising talents, who could be part of the senior setup in the future. And it looks like Arsenal are convinced about the potential of one such player.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal have offered Chelsea £1.25 million for goalkeeper Freddy Bernal. But the Blues have rejected the bid.
Chelsea are clear on their position. They want to keep Bernal. Despite that, several other clubs remain interested in the goalkeeper.
Arsenal submit transfer bid to sign Chelsea player
Bernal is just 16 years of age. So, it is hard to imagine that he will be part of the Chelsea senior team setup anytime soon.
In fact, it is extremely difficult for young goalkeepers to get a chance at a club like Chelsea. It is a specialised position with a settled starter. Most clubs rarely shake things up between the posts, and even when they do, they have a backup option already in place.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, neither of their goalkeeping options has been particularly impressive this season. Robert Sanchez has moments of brilliance but on occasions, he is also the one who gets his team into trouble. On the other hand, Filip Jorgensen has not been able to convince that he is good enough to be the starter.
Perhaps there could be a spot in the team for Bernal in the future. But for now, the England U18 goalkeeper needs to prove himself at the youth level and when the time comes, it is likely that he will be sent out on loan to gain senior level experience.