Chelsea could be about to go head-to-head with Manchester United and some of their other Premier League rivals for two rising stars in football. That is according to a report from TEAMtalk. It claims that the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are all interested in Lille pair Leny Yoro and Tiago Santos and have been watching both players.
Yoro and Santos are both defenders, with the former a centre-back by trade and the latter a right-back.
They are not positions Chelsea are particularly light in, but the Blues do like to look to the future, signing a plethora of young players since being taken over by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Chelsea to sign defenders of same club:
Yoro only turned 18 last month, while Santos is just a few years older than his Lille team-mate.
While Chelsea appear to have both Yoro and Santos on their radar, TEAMtalk’s report claims that Yoro is being viewed slightly more favourably than Santos.
The Blues could lose Thiago Silva at the end of the season when his contract expires. Hence there could potentially be room for the young central defender.
That being said, at 18, Chelsea may not view Yoro as an immediate first-team option.
Whatever the case, a move for Yoro seems more likely. If it came down to a choice between him and Santos.
The Blues have Reece James, the club captain, as their first-choice right-back with Malo Gusto covering him. They are all around the same age as well. Hence it is hard to see how bringing in Santos would work.
James has had a lot of injuries, though. Another serious one would give Chelsea something to seriously think about. But since the England international’s return from his hamstring issue, he has looked fine.
Chelsea are currently in the 7th position of the league table.
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