Since the change in ownership, Chelsea have been heavily focused on bringing in the best young talents from around the world. Last night, it was their Brazilian wonderkid, Estevao, who scored the winner against Premier League champions Liverpool. One hopes that this is the first step in what promises to be a brilliant career for the 18-year-old winger at Stamford Bridge.
Of course, Chelsea do not seem to be looking to stop recruiting youngsters just because they have a squad full of them already. On the contrary, it looks like they are continuing to recruit them, for increasingly bigger fees.
Kenan Yildiz of Juventus is someone who has been linked with Chelsea for a while. And if reports in Italy are accurate then the Blues have already seen a big-money bid for him turned down by the Turin side.
As reported by TuttoJuve, Chelsea offered between €65 million and €68 million for Yildiz, but the Bianconeri rejected them flatly. On the other hand, as reported by TEAMtalk, Giuseppe Ross said to TuttoMercatoWeb about the Juventus talent:
"The Turk is a phenomenon and will be a Ballon d’Or winner in the future: he’s 20, but he plays like a 30-year-old with a 100 Champions League appearances.
“I have a soft spot for his ability to attempt a beautiful play for the good of the team, not just for the applause.
“Juventus is Yildiz plus 10 others; in terms of impact, he’s a bit like the Lamine Yamal of the Bianconeri."
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That is definitely high praise for a youngster who has yet to prove that he can be part of a winning team. Of course, you'd expect Juventus to be back competing for the Serie A title in the near future.
Of course, it is going to be difficult for Chelsea to agree a deal with Juventus for someone like Yildiz, who is clearly being viewed as the next face of the team. And Italian clubs have done a decent job holding onto those players, whether it be Lautaro Martinez at Inter or Rafael Leao at AC Milan or a few others, despite the financial demands of the modern game.
Morgan Rogers is believed to be Chelsea's top target for the future, despite his shaky start to this campaign. But the Yildiz situation seems to be one worth keeping an eye on as well.