Chelsea's next six Premier League fixtures
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Chelsea have been handed a blow in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund prospect Youssoufa Moukoko, who is out of contract at the end of the season, with Barcelona reportedly now in the race to sign the forward.
The 18-year-old is one of the most exciting youngsters in world football, with his call-up to the Germany side for the World Cup only evidencing that further. Moukoko scored six and assisted three in 14 Bundesliga appearances before jetting off to Qatar, and it is that flying form that has caught the eye of several Premier League outfits.
Liverpool and Manchester United are amongst those believed to be monitoring the teenage sensation, though Chelsea are the most firmly linked. The Blues are looking to build a young side at Stamford Bridge that will be able to develop under Graham Potter and push for places in his first team.
And with Armando Broja suffering an ACL injury that has ruled him out until next season, the chance to sign Moukoko appears one too good to pass up on. However, according to SPORT, Barcelona are also prepared to be in the race in the summer of 2023.
The Spanish side have made it no secret that their recruitment strategy is focused on acquiring players when their contracts are expiring, with their financial situation making it impossible for them to fork out significant fees for new signings. Thus, they will not be lodging a bid for Moukoko in the January transfer window and are willing to wait until the summer in hope of landing the striker.
The emergence of Barca has led to panic amongst the higher powers at Moukoko, desperately wanting to know whether they need to cash in on the prospect or if he will remain with them for the long term. They have offered the forward two contract different contract offers but the situation remains unclear.
Barca are aware that they will need a stroke of luck for Moukoko to remain with Dortmund until the end of the season before signing for them. Though they are hopeful that the transfer target will ‘sympathise’ with their financial situation.
It remains to be seen whether Moukoko comes to a conclusion on how he sees his future panning out before the end of the January transfer window or if he refuses to provide January to cash in on his services and gives himself plenty of time to weigh up his options.
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