Real Madrid and PSG ready to exploit Chelsea situation to sign young talent Josh Acheampong
Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are looking at highly-rated Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong, as they seek to sort out the future of their right-back positions.
The 18-year-old is moving into first-team football and tipped for big things at Stamford Bridge, but his status as an academy graduate in a squad that already features 44 professionals means he has become a player the club would consider selling, particularly with how Profit and Sustainability Rules ensure any such fee would go into the accounts as pure profit.
Chelsea’s pursuit of this policy, and the pending exit of Conor Gallagher, is known to have caused ripples among the club’s underage teams.
A series of major European clubs have already identified this situation as offering opportunity among some of England’s bloated squads, and both Madrid and PSG lead the way in pursuing Acheampong
This all comes as the wealthiest clubs increasingly pivot to signing the best young talent, in the manner that the likes of Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla used to make their speciality. There is a belief in the market that Manchester United’s €60m purchase of Leny Yoro from Lille has set a benchmark for that profile of player. The 18-year-old centre-half’s price was so high due to factors like his potential for growth and the knowledge his wages will be low, meaning clubs are essentially investing, as well as – crucially – the fact he had played 60 senior games at Lille.
