Chelsea-linked Lucas Gourna-Douath unlikely to leave Saint-Étienne — report

Chelsea were reportedly one of the clubs interested in signing AS Saint-Étienne midfielder Lucas Gourna-Douath this summer, however, as RMC Sport reports, he is much more likely to extend his contract with the team instead. And while he might not see that out all the way to 2025, he’s expected to stay in France for at least one more season to continue his development. Considering that he’s a week shy of his 18th birthday, that’s probably a very smart choice.

Interest in the youngster is certainly not lacking, with Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen, and Atalanta as well hot on his tail. Atalanta may have even offered €10m already, but ASSE have no reason to sell now. If Gourna-Douath continues to develop as expected, he will command a much higher fee in the future anyway. There may be a possibility of a potential buy-and-loan-back type of deal right now, but that seems unlikely at the moment.

The France U19 international made 30 Ligue 1 appearances last season, but only 13 starts. Should he improve on that record, teams will be lining up for the man already being called the “new Pogba”, rightly or wrongly.

In other news, Chelsea youngster Emran Soglo’s representatives have confirmed that he is likely to leave the club, though not necessarily for Bayern Munich.

“Yes, we are in talks with Bayern. There is nothing official to announce. We also talk to other clubs from Europe. We are looking for the best option at the highest level for Emran’s career.”

-Willy Moupoupa; source Fussball Transfers

The 16-year-old has also been linked with Borussia Dortmund, VfB Stuttgart, and several other clubs in England and France are interested as well.

Meanwhile, George McEachran could also be be departing, maybe for League Two side Swindon Town, where he has been trialing, apparently. The 20-year-old has 130 appearances for Chelsea across various youth levels, and has had loan stints at MVV Maastricht and SC Cambuur.