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Chelsea submit €40m offer for their next superstar midfielder
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 23 Jan 2026 18:29 GMT
- 5 min read
News
Chelsea have reportedly submitted a €40 million bid for Trabzonspor wonderkid Christ Inao Oulai.
The Blues have prioritised signing the best young talents in world football since the arrival of Clearlake Capital as their new owners in 2022 and their recruitment team have identified Oulai as their latest transfer target.
Current ETV
Christ Inao Oulaï
M, DM (C)
Trabzonspor
Christ Inao Oulaï
M, DM (C)
Trabzonspor
ETV Range
€1.3M - €1.9M
In fact, they have even lodged a €40m offer for the Ivory Coast international, according to a sensational report from AfricaFoot.
Oulai, who joined Trabzonspor from Bastia last summer, impressed at the recent Africa Cup of Nations, starting each of Ivory Coast’s final three matches at the tournament, and his progress is being closely watched by a number of clubs across Europe.
As per AfricaFoot, Galatasaray have already launched a €20m proposal for the 19-year-old, while PSV Eindhoven are also closing monitoring his development in Turkey.
Oulai has scored two goals and provided three assists in 10 league matches for Trabzonspor so far this season, and Chelsea aren’t the only Premier League club interested in his services, with both Manchester City and Manchester United reportedly eager to finalise a deal.
However, Liam Rosenior’s side are determined to win the race for his signature and they have now reportedly lodged an opening offer in a bid to bring Oulai to west London.
Michael Essien & Christ Inao Oulaï. Bastia roots 🇬🇭🇨🇮✨ pic.twitter.com/QIzYwzOX0s
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) January 10, 2026
Chelsea chase new midfielder
News of Chelsea’s interest in Oulai comes after Rosenior confirmed that summer signing Dario Essugo will be missing for another month after suffering an injury in training.
The Portugal U21 midfielder moved to Stamford Bridge for €22.3m in June, however he has only made three appearances for the club and he is still yet to play his first Premier League match.
“Unfortunately Dario picked up a really unfortunate injury. He slipped in training and he's going to be out for a while, over a month, which is a real shame because he's an outstanding player as well that I was really looking forward to working with,” Rosenior told reporters ahead of Chelsea’s fixture against Crystal Palace on Sunday.
The Brazilian has failed to work his way into favour under Sean Dyche and the Blues are eyeing a potential six-month loan deal in a bid to provide cover for Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Reece James.
However, Rosenior will only sanction a transfer for the correct player.
“In terms of my midfield options you've got Enzo [Fernandez], Moi [Caicedo], Andrey Santos, Reece James. It's not bad,” he added.
“I've been really clear on this. I don't want to bring in players that don't enhance the group or the chemistry that we're building. So we have to be very selective at this stage of the season. If we do bring in the right player in a certain position, they have to have a clear impact on the team.”
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