Barcelona’s deal to sign former Chelsea prodigy in jeopardy as Anderlecht plot hijack

Barcelona’s interest in young Chelsea winger Tudor Mendel-Idowu came to light a few days ago. Back then, it was established that the Bluagrana have agreed personal terms with the player ahead of his free transfer but journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported that Anderlecht are now trying to hijack the move.

Barcelona’s idea with Mendel-Idowu was to acquire him for the subsidiary team and this is where Anderlecht are striking in the last minute. In order to lure the player, the Belgian side is offering him a much better economic proposal and they are also promising him the chance of regular first-team football.

Mendel-Idowu, 18, began his football career with Chelsea, joining the team at Under-8 level despite interest from Arsenal and Tottenham. In 2018, he signed the first professional contract of his career. 

In July this year, the 18-year-old winger was offered an extension but the player decided to explore other avenues by finally deciding to call time on his Chelsea tenure. 

While Barcelona were expected to be the most plausible destination, Anderlecht’s last-minute arrival has changed the picture for the team. More importantly, their will to slot the player directly into the first team can happen to be a reason why he could choose to ignore Barça in the first place.

At present, nothing is concrete apart from the fact that the 18-year-old will, in fact, leave Chelsea this summer. If signed for Barcelona, it has been suggested that he would arrive on a three-year contract that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2026.

For what it is worth, Deco and his fellow colleagues have keenly observed the player and their idea is to initially use him at Barça Atletic. As and when he progresses through the ranks, he will be considered for the senior team eventually.