Chelsea eight million euro bid for 17-year-old Djylian N'Guessan rejected by Saint-Étienne | OneFootball

Chelsea have had an initial offer of eight million euros for 17-year-old Djylian N'Guessan rejected by AS Saint-Étienne, who have set an asking price of at least 12.5 million euros, according to L'Équipe.

Kilmer Sports Ventures, the club’s new owners, have struggled to persuade leading academy talents to buy into their project. After Mathis Amougou left for Chelsea last winter for 15 million euros before a loan to Strasbourg this summer, N'Guessan is refusing to extend his deal. With his three-year contract running until 30 June 2027, the board have resolved to sell.

N'Guessan signed professional terms on 8 November 2024. He was fast-tracked for the Under-20 World Cup, where France reached the semi-finals. He missed the final penalty in a 1-1, 4-5 shootout defeat to Morocco on 15 October.

Groomed to succeed Lucas Stassin as Saint-Étienne’s number nine, the France Under-20 forward has seven caps. He could instead head to England this winter, with Brentford, Arsenal and especially Chelsea tracking him. His father, Dany N'Guessan, spent most of his career there.

BlueCo, the American consortium that owns Chelsea and Strasbourg, want to add him to their player portfolio. Another sign of the rift with the Saint-Étienne hierarchy is that his younger brother has just signed for Lyon.

Source: L'Équipe