Chelsea gaze into the future with links to teenagers Pedri and Longonda

While Chelsea are banned from making any new signings at the moment (through January), the club will always be scouting (“monitoring”) players for the future. In the modern age, every club tries to sign talented players as early as 16 or 17 (before the players sign a professional contract) because of the rising transfer fees involved in an already inflated market. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Chelsea have been linked with two youngsters who are very highly-rated.

First up is Pedri, who currently plies his trade for Las Palmas in the Spanish second division. He has already made a senior appearance this season and has reported interest from Barcelona as well. Las Palmas, who were relegated from La Liga in 2018, are dealing with a financial crisis and selling the youngster could bring much-needed respite. The reported asking price is €10m, which might seem exorbitant, is actually on par with Pedri’s contract situation which runs on till 2024.

Another youngster professedly on the Blues’ radar is Jean-Pierre Longonda of Lille OSC. The Belgian defensive midfielder has not signed a professional contract as of yet, which has led to Premier League giants Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea circling in the water. The 17 year-old, who has represented Belgium at the U-17 level since the start of this year would be a frugal signing for any interested club.

As they say, the calciomercato never sleeps, and it wouldn’t be erroneous to presume that Chelsea are already thinking about the future after the ban, be it in January or next summer.