Club now ready to sell £25m starlet to Chelsea as BlueCo hold agent talks

Chelsea have held talks to sign a promising young star who has been compared to Manchester City and Portugal’s Bernardo Silva, according to a new report.

Chelsea have weekend off as Maresca plans for summer transfer window

Chelsea returned to winning ways in their last Premier League outing by thrashing bottom club Southampton 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. The win, however, will have done little to ease the worries of the club’s fans after what has been a difficult few months.

Since December 22, Enzo Maresca’s side have won just three of their last eleven Premier League games, losing five at the hands of Fulham, Ipswich Town, Manchester City, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Aston Villa.

To add further misery, the Blues were also dumped out of the FA Cup at the hands of Brighton last month, ending their chances of winning any domestic silverware.

Despite their poor run of form, however, Maresca’s job is not thought to be under threat. In a long read published by The Athletic last week, journalists Liam Twomey and Simon Phillips wrote that “there are no indications that Maresca’s standing in the dressing room has been damaged by Chelsea’s bad run”.

“He is held in high regard by many players for the quality of his training sessions and his attention to tactical detail,” they explained. “While the broad structure of his system has remained consistent this season, he has also garnered credit for his flexibility in making tweaks to individual player roles and positioning from game to game.”

As such, it seems Todd Boehly and BlueCo are planning for the summer window with Maresca in charge, which has seen them step up their pursuit for a young South American star.

Related

Chelsea scouts watching £25m “sensation” who Liverpool bid for in January

The Blues have set their sights on a defender, but there is set to be competition for his signature from some of Europe’s top clubs.

Chelsea hold agent talks for Subiabre as River Plate prepare to sell

If Maresca does indeed remain at the helm until the summer, he will no doubt be looking to add some fresh blood to his squad – with a new goalkeeper understood to be high on the priority list. With Mykhailo Mudryk still banned for failing a drugs test and both Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho struggling for form, signing a new winger is also on the cards, and according to Caught Offside, Maresca has already identified the man he wants.

Caught Offside reported over the weekend that Chelsea had held initial talks about signing River Plate youngster Ian Subiabre, speaking to his agents in recent weeks.

The 18-year-old has played just five times for River at senior level, and that seems to have been enough to catch the eye of the Blues, who have held talks with the player’s representatives but have yet to make an offer.

Subiabre has a release clause of €30 million (£25 million), and it’s understood that River Plate are ready to sell the youngster on if this price is met. Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool are also reported to be interested in the player.

Subiabre has been compared to both Bernardo Silva and Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Pablo Sarabia by Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig. Kulig states on his website that Subiabre is an “an excellent mix of a winger and advanced playmaker” and a player with “very high football IQ, good spatial awareness”.