Nice identify Tariq Lamptey as bargaining chip in potential Atal deal — report

OGC Nice’s versatile full-back, Youssef Atal, has recently emerged as a primary transfer target for Chelsea, should we manage to defer our impending transfer ban this summer.

However according to reports, Nice will most likely see this as an opportunity to bolster their own ranks by asking for Chelsea’s talented right wing-back, Tariq Lamptey as part of the deal.

‘Tiny’ Tariq is probably the shortest player to come through the ranks at Cobham in a long time, making even Jay Dasilva look tall by comparison. However, he’s also just as talented, gifted with the ability to make things happen at will with his electric pace, quick feet and guile. The 18-year-old will soon have just a year left on his contract and may not be able to contribute directly to the Nice first team next-season, but a move to the Ligue 1 club would undoubtedly offer him a more direct pathway to senior football, and still at a high level.

Chelsea are no strangers to this sort of deal — 8 years ago Nemanja Matic was used to sweeten a deal for David Luiz with Benfica — so it would not be implausible to see it happen again, especially as the emerging youth talent start taking more and more control of their own futures, and move away from “big” clubs earlier in their fledgling careers.