Chelsea linked with crazy talent whose Yamal comments blew up in his face | OneFootball

The January window is just around the corner now, and rumour are starting to heat up.

A name that’s starting to come up time and time again is Andrija Maksimovic, the latest Serbian starlet emerging from the relentless Balkan talent factory. Still just 17, there are links to Chelsea and Liverpool in places like TeamTalk, as well as mentions of teams like Juventus, Man City and “a number of Bundesliga sides.”

The youngster, who can play as a winger or number 10, is benefitting from still playing with his boyhood club Red Star Belgrade, meaning he is picking up significant minutes already. He was famously outspoken last week, claiming he would prove himself against Lamine Yamal’s Barcelona team. Red Star lost 5-2.

But that result is no knock on Maksimovic really – his brilliant talent on the ball is clear for all to see. He’s a wonderful dribbler, capable of darting between the lines and creating things.

Andrija Maksimovic playing for Red Star Belgrade.

Chelsea will have to prepare for financial battle to sign youngster

Financially, this one could be a battle. Chelsea are always keen to tie down the best young talents in the world, as they’ve showed with moves for Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian. But Maksimovic signed a new contract in September which keeps him at Red Star until 2027, giving them plenty of leverage.

TeamTalk claim they hope to hold on to him until next summer, and actually we wouldn’t be surprised to see him stick around and develop there until the summer of 2026, when he will be far more ready to move abroad and flourish.

This is a name we could see come up quite a few times between now and then – especially if he continues to be so outspoken. He’s just picked up his first senior Serbia cap too – whether it’s to Chelsea or not, this guy sounds like he’s going to the top.