Transfer News: Arsenal struggling to tie down Khayon Edwards to new contract amidst Chelsea interest
According to transfer news on the Daily Mail, Chelsea are interested in signing Khayon Edwards amidst his contract stalemate with Arsenal.
The young starlet has been brilliant for the youth setup of the Gunners this season. He has scored 14 goals and has provided a further 6 assists in just 13 appearances. He has also already trained with the senior team and has featured in the EFL trophy.
However, Arsenal are now struggling to tie him down to a new deal as he only has a little over six months on his current contract. Chelsea are looking to take advantage of this situation and sign the youngster.
However, the Blues are not alone in this race. German clubs, namely, Hertha Berlin, RB Leipzig, Borussia Monchengladbach, and Bayer Leverkusen are interested in the 18-year-old. Leeds United, Southampton, and Newcastle United are also keen on landing his signature.
Chelsea need to swoop him up
The Arsenal ace is apparently likely to make a decision on his future early next year. The interested parties could seal a pre-contract for him in January, which will see him join them next summer on a free. The Blues are in the running and could benefit from this deal.
The Cobham academy has been the hotbed for talent in England, if not Europe, for the past half a decade. It is a great place to hone the potential of youngsters and the club is also promoting deserving youngsters to the first team. Mason Mount, Reece James, Trevoh Chalobah are just some examples of this process.
Germany is also an attractive prospect, given their management of English youngsters and the amount of game-time they hand to teenagers. Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho, Ademola Lookman, Reiss Nelson, and Demarai Gray are just some of the examples.
However, the Blues do not have a long-term plan for a striker. Romelu Lukaku shall turn 29 next year, and it remains to be seen how long he can play into his thirties. Tammy Abraham does have a buy-back clause, but Chelsea might use that only if the 24-year-old impresses on his move to AS Roma.
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Thus, there is an opportunity for an exciting teenage striker to burst into the ranks. Even if there is no long-term plan for him, the Blues could cash in on him, as they did on several youngsters and fringe stars this summer.
What would make this sweeter would be the fact that we would grab him from the clutches of one of our biggest rivals in Arsenal. With Olivier Giroud and Abraham sold this summer and Werner not really Tuchel’s first-choice man anymore, there is a place for a striker in the team. But it is far more likely for any incoming teenager to first prove their mettle with the U23s before taking the step up to senior football.