Todd Boehly’s transfer policy is causing ‘ripples’ in the Chelsea academy that offers Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain hope of landing Blues star Josh Acheampong.
Chelsea have spent over £1.2bn on new players and managerial changes in Clearlake’s two years in charge of the club, to the cost of the academy graduates who have seen their pathways blocked to the first team and ultimately their sales for pure profit.
Big things are expected of Acheampong at Stamford Bridge, but his status as an academy graduate in a squad which already features 44 players, two of the better ones being Reece James and Malo Gusto in his position at right-back, means both Madrid and PSG ‘believe he is a player the club would consider selling’ amid concerns over Premier League profit and sustainability rules.
That’s according to the Independent, who claim that Chelsea are ‘internally insisting that Acheampong is not for sale’ as ‘Enzo Maresca likes him and sees him as a big part of plans for future’.
Conor Gallagher is on the verge of a move to Atletico Madrid and will join Ian Maatsen, Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson, Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ethan Ampadu and Billy Gilmour as academy stars sold in the American owners’ time at Stamford Bridge.
Meanwhile fellow youth products Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja have been ‘barred from using first-team facilities’ as they look to find buyers for them this summer.
The club’s treatment of their academy players has predictably ’caused ripples in Chelsea’s underage teams, with many of their academy successors now wondering whether they have to consider moves away’.
It’s claimed ‘the policy is understood to have had a profound impact at that level’.
‘This all comes as the wealthiest clubs increasingly pivot to signing the best young talent, in the manner that the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla used to make their speciality. There is a belief in the market that Manchester United’s €60m purchase of Leny Yoro from Lille has set a benchmark for that profile of player. The 18-year-old centre-half’s price was so high due to factors like his potential for growth and the knowledge his wages will be low, meaning clubs are essentially investing, as well as – crucially – the fact he had played 60 senior games at Lille.
‘Acheampong is seen as a similar profile of player, who can also play centre-half in addition to right-back, with the only difference between the two being a lack of minutes due to the English youth international coming through a major Premier League club rather than the French league. As such, both Madrid and PSG are eyeing a potential fee of around €15m.
‘Both have similar reasons for the interest beyond Acheampong’s burgeoning quality, too. The Spanish and French champions have two of the best right-backs in the world in Dani Carvajal and Achraf Hakimi, respectively, but also want capable deputies who can appear in 20-plus games a season while offering a clear succession plan. Acheampong would certainly look set for more football than in the current Chelsea squad.’
