Chelsea monitor Wirtz and Ligue 1 teenage starlet

Jacque Talbot
Jacque Talbot
  • 1 Jul 2023 14:06 BST
  • 3 min read
Florian Wirtz, Bayer Leverkusen, 2021/22
© ProShots

Chelsea are linked to Florian Wirtz and Rayan Cherki.

In what would be a sensational move, the Blues are eyeing up the pair of youngsters ahead of next season.

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Football Insider reporter Fraser Fletcher reported that both players are on the radar of Chelsea.

READ MORE: Chelsea U-turn sparks Man Utd transfer battle

Cherki is currently with Lyon and would mark a huge move, having done so well at the Under-21s for France this summer.

The attacker is a huge talent and is considered the next big thing at the Ligue 1 outfit.

Meanwhile, Wirtz is a superstar in the making at Bayer Leverkusen. The German came back from a long layoff last season and has been making waves in the Bundesliga.

Cherki is also liked by Chelsea
© ProShots - Cherki is also liked by Chelsea

Colwill liked by Liverpool

It comes after the story that Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill has emerged as a potential summer transfer target for Liverpool.

The Blues are said to have offered Colwill – who spent last season on loan at Brighton – a new contract, but the 20-year-old has been linked with a number of other Premier League clubs, among them Tottenham.

Born in Southampton, Colwill rose through Chelsea’s youth ranks but has never featured for the first team; he made 17 Premier League appearances for Brighton last term, having been loaned out to Championship Huddersfield Town in 2021/22.

READ MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal considering Kylian Mbappe move

That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who say Liverpool are one of the Blues’ domestic rivals keen on Colwill – who has represented England up to U21 level and is currently part of the Young Lions’ squad at the ongoing European Under-21 Championship.

Our in-house Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) model currently rates Colwill at €14.5m (£12.4m) – and, were he to leave for that kind of fee, he could come to look like an absolute bargain a few years from now.

That seems extremely unlikely to happen, though: earlier this month, Chelsea rejected a £40 bid from Brighton to make the defender’s loan switch permanent.

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