Report: Chelsea to battle Arsenal for highly rated midfield star, Newcastle also interested | OneFootball

Chelsea are amongst the clubs keeping a close eye on Marseille youngster Darryl Bakola according to reports in France.

The Blues once again heavily invested over the summer, and completely revamped the frontline with five new attacking signings.

With January fast approaching Chelsea have been linked with a number of players, although it’s been reported the Blues won’t be busy next month.

Chelsea keeping a close eye on Marseille youngster Darryl Bakola

Chelsea were briefly linked with Antoine Semenyo, whilst there’s also been links with the likes of Kees Smit and Noah Sadiki.

Naturally Chelsea have also been linked with a number of talented youngsters, and it appears they have another one on their radar.

Bakola is attracting interest from Premier League clubs. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images)

According to Foot Mercato, Chelsea are keeping a close eye on 18-year-old Marseille star Bakola, who’s out of contract in 2027.

The report adds Newcastle and Arsenal are also interested, but Chelsea are already making moves behind the scenes and are considering sending him on loan to Strasbourg.

Bakola plays in midfield and is a product of Marseille’s academy, and he’s made eight first team appearances this season, with seven of those coming in Ligue 1.

The teenager is also a France under-20 international, and it looks like he’s got a big decision to make about his future soon.

Chelsea looking to sign a midfielder next summer

Whether Chelsea sign a midfielder in January remains to be seen, but it looks like there’s a high chance one could arrive next summer.

It’s been reported the Blues are prioritising a midfielder next summer to ease the burden on Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez.

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Chelsea already have good depth in Dario Essugo, Andrey Santos and Romeo Lavia, and it’s unclear if the Blues are looking for more depth or to replace one of the current crop.

Given his injury record Lavia would appear a prime candidate if the Blues were to move an existing player on, but it will be interesting to see what they do next summer.