Chelsea have reportedly launched a bid for a player described as 'the next Erling Haaland' - ahead of Manchester United and Liverpool.
Graham Potter's side have been forced to turn to the transfer market for a new forward after Armando Broja ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during a friendly against Aston Villa on Saturday.
The Albanian will miss the rest of the season, requiring the Blues to bring in reinforcements.
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There were initial rumours that they could recall Romelu Lukaku from his loan at Inter Milan, but The Sun say that Chelsea failed to insert that option into his loan contract with the Italian giants.
Prominent transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported that they are 'on the verge' of signing striker David Datro Fofana from Molde for a fee of £10 million.
But it appears the club are looking at other options in the meantime - and one of them is one of the most high-profile wonderkids in world football.
Chelsea launch bid for 'next Haaland'
According to Spanish outlet Sport, Chelsea have placed a bid for Borussia Dortmund starlet Youssoufa Moukoko, in an attempt to sign him ahead of Barcelona, with United and Liverpool also credited with interest.
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The 18-year-old initially rose to prominence as a result of scoring 141 goals in just 88 games for Dortmund's U17 and U19 teams, but he has established himself as a first team regular this year.
Moukoko has six goals and three assists in 14 Bundesliga games this season, resulting in a call-up to the Germany squad for the World Cup.
He only featured once in the tournament, as an injury time substitute in their 2-1 defeat to Japan in the group stage, but became the youngest Germany player to play at a World Cup in the process.
The same report claims that Chelsea are willing to pay for the striker now, with his deal expiring in the summer. Dortmund have offered him a new deal, and German outlet Ruhr Nachrichten claim that the player is close to reaching an agreement, but Chelsea appear to want to launch a late move to convince him to join them instead.
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Sport add that the Blues will pay over €10 million for Moukoko, despite potentially being able to sign him for free in the summer, in order to sign him ahead of the three aforementioned clubs.
In 2021, Manchester City forward Haaland tipped Moukoko to follow in his footsteps as the next big star of Dortmund - but he might be plying his trade elsewhere as early as this season.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Erling Haaland, Youssoufa Moukoko, Premier League, Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, Transfers