Transfer News: Chelsea starlet Dynel Simeu set to join Southampton on a free transfer
According to the reliable journalist, Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Chelsea starlet Dynel Simeu is set to call time on his stay at the club.
The 19-year-old, who hails from Southampton, joined the club when he was still a young teenager. He has since represented England up to the Under-17 age group and signed his first professional contract at the club in March 2019.
He progressed through the ranks and represented both the under-18s and development squad in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons. Simeu went on to captain the developmental squad midway into the 2020/21 season and was a key member of Andy Myers’ squad.
The youngster’s contract at Chelsea expired in June and he is now effectively a free agent. The club has failed to convince him to sign a new deal and he is now set to return to his home city and join Southampton.
The deal is expected to be completed soon and Simeu will soon don the colours of the Saints. While he does move as a free agent, the Blues are liable to receive compensation for his services. According to Romano, a private agreement has been reached with Southampton that will net Chelsea around £1.5m.
Simeu had earlier spoken of his admiration of Southampton and it may have played a role in his decision. One of our best young prospects, it is unfortunate that he decided to take his talents elsewhere.
He is just one of a number of young players who seem to be moving on from the Bridge this summer. These include the likes of Lewis Bate, Tino Livramento, Myles Peart-Harris, while Marc Guehi and Fikayo Tomori have already departed.
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While we would have preferred to see the youngster continue his development at the Bridge, one cannot begrudge him a move to his hometown club. Whether he goes on to impress and establish himself as a regular in the Southampton first-team setup remains to be seen,
Simeu failed to make a single senior appearance for Chelsea during his time at the club. The closest he came was when he was named on the bench for our Round of 16 clash against Bayern Munich in the 2019/20 season.