:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46344666/GettyImages-453869626.0.jpg)
Who is Thibaud Verlinden? That's a good question -- until about five minutes ago I'd never heard of him -- but apparently Chelsea are in hot pursuit of the young man's signature*. It turns out that Verlinden is a 15-year-old midfielder attached to Standard Liege whom clubs in England have been eyeing up for some time. It looks like he's been linked to Stoke, Liverpool and Everton, with the former in closest control.
*That's the Telegraph citing 'reports in Belgium', for whatever's that's worth.
Nobody considers him anything approaching a first-team signing, so this is all about boosting the academy with fresh young talent. Verlinden's been a fixture in the Belgian youth setup, but there's not much footage of him available to take a look at, so we'll have to trust the scouts if a deal does happen. There's no much to be lost if we do make a move for Verlinden, and Chelsea's academy is almost certainly the best place for his development if he does want to move to England, so I wouldn't be surprised if this comes to fruition.
That said, with a name like that maybe he should move to goalkeeper?