Chelsea tipped to HIJACK deal for the 'next Yaya Toure'

Tom Weber

Updated: 1 May 2025 18:09 BST
4 min read

Chelsea, Brighton and West Ham look set to battle it out for the signature of Lorient youngster Arthur Avom, according to a report.

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The 20-year-old has been hugely impressive for the promotion-chasing Ligue 2 side this term. Avom has been almost ever-present for the current leaders of the French second tier, notching a pair of goals and five assists from midfield.

STATS

Arthur Avom Ebong

M (C)

Lorient

Arthur Avom Ebong

M (C)

Lorient

30

Games
2

Goals
5

Assists

Avom is already a two-time senior Cameroon international, earning both of his caps at AFCON in January 2023, even before he had made the move to Europe.

He joined Lorient in the summer of that year, but he could already be on the move again just two years later after earning comparisons to none other than Yaya Toure. According to TEAMtalk, Brighton, Chelsea and West Ham have taken a keen interest in his performances of late.

The Seagulls, in particular, look poised to strike a deal, but the report states that Chelsea could look to 'hijack' their move for Avom, who is still under contract in France until 2026 with the option for a further year.

Chelsea to sign Avom?

Somewhat surprisingly, Brighton's fellow South Coast club Bournemouth are not mentioned as potential suitors for Avom despite being part of the same multi-club network as Lorient.

Both Chelsea and Brighton have made it their mission to snap up the world's best young players, so their interest in Avom is unsurprising. As for West Ham, they are simply keen to add more midfield options to Graham Potter's squad.

Chelsea don't necessarily need Avom as they already have a wealth of midfield options at their disposal. Of course, they could send him on loan to Ligue 1 affiliate Strasbourg, unless both qualify for the same UEFA competition, in which case they would be prohibited from doing business.

Perhaps the interest is driven more by Strasbourg than Chelsea as the Alsatians are expected to lose star midfielders Andrey Santos (returning to Chelsea) and Habib Diarra (linked with Brighton and others).

Avom is said to be 'very interested' in a move to the Premier League, with Brighton currently 'best-placed' to sign him in the upcoming transfer window.

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