Chelsea have made enquiries for a trio of emerging names as the club continue a rebuild in midfield.
Mauricio Pochettino is rebuilding his engine room ahead of the new Premier League campaign with Chelsea pushing to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton.
The Ecuadorian is not expected to be the last midfield signing in west London however, with Chelsea having made enquiries into the availability of Lyon teenager Rayan Cherki, Celta Vigo’s Gabri Veiga and Southampton’s Romeo Lavia.
Cherki reemphasised his status as one of Ligue 1’s most exciting talents with an eye-catching season at Lyon last term, with the 19-year-old scoring four goals and providing six assists. The teenager – who became Lyon’s youngest ever goalscorer in 2020 – has excelled in a number of attacking midfield roles and is valued at around €50m.
Chelsea have also made enquiries into the availability of Veiga and Lavia. The former shone during a breakthrough season at Celta Vigo last term to score 11 La Liga goals from central midfield and possesses a release clause of €40m (£34.6m) in his contract. Spain’s leading clubs, alongside Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City, have tracked his development this season.
Chelsea remain admirers of Lavia after a failed bid to sign the teenager from Southampton last summer. The Blues saw an offer turned down just weeks after Lavia had signed for the Saints, with the club’s co-director of recruitment, Joe Shield, having been behind Lavia’s move to St Mary’s before crossing to Chelsea.
Liverpool and Arsenal have also been linked with Lavia, who made his debut for Belgium in March, but Southampton are demanding a fee of around £50m for the 19-year-old.
Chelsea’s focus on midfield additions comes after a number of exits this summer, with Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all leaving to deplete the club’s central options.
