Chelsea “consider themselves in the lead” to sign Borussia Dortmund and Germany striker Youssoufa Moukoko for Graham Potter’s squad at Stamford Bridge, CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has told GiveMeSport.
The 18-year-old will enter the final six months of his current contract with the Bundesliga giants in January.
Chelsea transfer news – Youssoufa Moukoko
According to Bild in Germany, Dortmund have made their final contract offer to Moukoko, with the deal reportedly being worth £5.3m.
The teenager is reported to want around £6.2m, which will no doubt come as a boost to the Blues, who are looking to add another centre-forward to their squad alongside the recent £8m signing of Molde’s David Datro Fofana.
The Blues’ out-and-out striker options currently consist of Fofana and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, after Albanian forward Armando Broja suffered a season-ending injury in a friendly with Aston Villa earlier this month.
Jacobs has already told GiveMeSport that the west London outfit are looking to move quickly in signing the Dortmund wonderkid, with Barcelona, Liverpool and Manchester United being name-checked in the pursuit of the £26m valued forward.
And the journalist also states that Chelsea believe they are leading the race to sign Moukoko ahead of the January transfer window, with the player liking the club’s project which involves the Blues buying some of the globe’s best young talent.
What has Jacobs said about Chelsea and Moukoko?
When talking about a potential Chelsea move for Moukoko, Jacobs told GiveMeSport: “What we do know is that Moukoko likes the Chelsea project and pitch. So, Chelsea consider themselves in the lead at the moment, but there are a lot of twists and turns that can happen because of the contractual situation.
“Dortmund will continue to talk to the player after the festive period to see whether or not he will or won't sign. Chelsea need to wait and understand that.”
Would Moukoko be a good signing for Chelsea?
Despite his young age, Moukoko has already proven that he is a solid striker option in a top European league, having scored six goals and provided four assists in 14 Bundesliga appearances this season, according to Transfermarkt.
These showings have led to the two-time Germany international being handed an average WhoScored rating of 6.88 for the current Bundesliga campaign, ranking him as the club’s joint-fifth-best performer at Signal Iduna Park.
And he is certainly capable of competing with the continent’s best number nine’s, ranking in the top 7% of forwards across Europe’s big five leagues as well as the Champions League and Europa League for non-penalty goals per 90 minutes (0.60) over the last 365 days, according to FBref.
Therefore, it looks as though Moukoko would be the ideal signing for Todd Boehly and Potter, with the club looking to transition into a younger and fresher squad ahead of both the winter and summer transfer markets of 2023.
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