Chelsea plotting to make a January swoop for 18-year-old Barcelona target

Chelsea are ready to leapfrog Barcelona in the race to sign Youssoufa Moukoko. The German international is currently one of the most in-demand players in the market, and it appears the Premier League giants are prepared to snap him up in the upcoming January transfer window.

This has been reported by The Athletic (h/t SPORT), which suggest that Chelsea are willing to fend off competition from Barcelona in the pursuit of the Borussia Dortmund starlet.

The Catalans are among the host of clubs interested in the services of the young forward, who was a part of the German national team in the FIFA World Cup.

But the club are looking for options to sign him on a free transfer in the summer of 2023 when his contract expires, due to their struggles with Financial Fair Play regulations.

Moukoko’s current contract expires at the end of the season, meaning the player will be available for free in the summer. But aware of Barça’s interest, Chelsea are ready to offer a fee of around €10 million to lure the player away from Dortmund in January.

The report suggests Dortmund would favour offloading Moukoko in January if they fail to reach an agreement with the youngster over a potential contract extension.

The player, for his part, has made it clear that he is looking for a sports project rather than a lucrative contract. Dortmund are more than willing to offer him the opportunity to become the leader of the club’s attacking line, but the money they are offering is far from the demands of the player himself.

That is where Chelsea may have the upper hand over not only Dortmund but also Barcelona. At just 18, Moukoko is one of the biggest prospects in world football, and with that in mind, he could demand a salary package that could easily make him an unattainable figure for Barcelona at the moment.

However, the Catalans are far from out, as far as the race to sign Moukoko is concerned and as the player looks for sporting projects, Xavi’s exciting plan for the future might just appear to be appealing for the German international.