Romano provides update on Chelsea's pursuit of Monaco's 'next Mbappe'
Cameron Smith
- 20 Nov 2023 13:34 GMT
- 3 min read
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has hinted that Chelsea may be one of several clubs scouting Monaco youngster Malamine Efekele after reports emerged of the Blues’ interest.
Efekele has been compared to former Monaco wonderkid Kylian Mbappe, who left the club to join Paris Saint-Germain for €180 million in 2018.
The 19-year-old has scored four goals and provided five assists for Monaco’s youth teams this season and has attracted interest from Chelsea, as per Foot Mercato.
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The Mbappe comparisons run deeper than the fact Efekele is a lightning-quick winger from Monaco; he also played for AS Bondy, like the PSG star, and was coached by Mbappe’s father, Wilfried, at the club.
Now, Chelsea and Valencia are keeping close tabs on his performances for Monaco, while several Bundesliga clubs are also extremely keen on signing him.
However, Romano has admitted that there are no concrete talks between Efekele and Chelsea, although several teams are scouting the 19-year-old, as per the Italian.
READ MORE: Chelsea tried to hijack Real Madrid's wonderkid deal - Fabrizio Romano
What has Romano said?
Romano revealed in his CaughtOffside Daily Briefing column: “I’ve had some fans ask me about Monaco wonderkid Malamine Efekele and links with Chelsea,” Romano said.
“He’s a very good and interesting talent, but I’m not aware of any concrete talk or link, at this stage. It’s just normal scouting activity by many top clubs, something very normal for talents like Efekele.”
Chelsea have utilised the French market extremely often since Todd Boehly became owner in 2022, with Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi and Lesley Ugochukwu all joining from Ligue 1 in the past year, while Christopher Nkunku is another France star to move to Stamford Bridge recently.
Signing Efekele would also align perfectly with the Blues’ shift to purchasing the biggest young talents in world football, which has continuously happened over the last 12 months.
