Chelsea now racing Barcelona for midfield maestro likened to Lionel Messi

Chelsea are now racing Barcelona for the signature of a highly-regarded young midfielder, who has been likened to Lionel Messi, according to a report.

Blues continue youth recruitment drive

Under BlueCo ownership, there has been a heavy focus on bringing in talented young players, with Sporting CP duo Geovany Quenda and Dario Essugo the latest youngsters to be snapped up, and the Blues are showing no signs of slowing down ahead of the summer window.

Talks have now been opened over a deal for Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens, with the Englishman set to be available for around £43m – £51m this summer, and Enzo Maresca’s side are prepared to double his salary to get a deal over the line.

The west Londoners are seemingly very keen on bringing in a young winger, as they are also pushing to sign Juventus’ Kenan Yildiz, but they may have to fork out as much as £87m to prise the Turk away from the Italian side.

Gittens and Yildiz both have Champions League experience under their belt, while they have also been regular starters for their respective clubs this season, but there are signs the Blues are also keen to take a gamble on more of an unknown quantity.

According to a report from The Boot Room, Chelsea are now in the race to sign Malian youngster Aboubacar Maiga, who is attracting widespread attention from some of Europe’s top clubs, with the Blues ‘determined’ to win his signature.

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Barcelona are also vying to sign Maiga, who has been given the nickname “the Malian Messi”, given that he is well-known for his technical ability, creativity and dribbling, sharing similar traits to the Barcelona legend.

The attacking midfielder is said to be regarded as one of the most exciting wonderkids in world football, given his talent in possession of the ball, while he has also displayed his leadership abilities by captaining Mali U16s.

Blues determined to seal Maiga deal

Chelsea are determined to win the race for the 16-year-old, and if he lives up to his nickname the teenager could be a future star, but BlueCo must make sure to also bring in players capable of making an immediate impact.

Over the past few years, the Blues have brought in a number of talented youngsters, but their transfer business has failed to translate to any real success on the pitch, although they are now in a strong position to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

The Blues have clearly identified striker as a position in need of strengthening, given that Nicolas Jackson has been inconsistent, while they may also look to replace Robert Sanchez between the sticks, and several targets have been identified in both positions.