Chelsea reportedly have had a bid worth up to £24million rejected for Elye Wahi by Montpellier.
The Blues are in the midst of a squad rebuild having offloaded players who were deemed surplus to requirements, thereby, effectively clearing out the deadwood to allow Mauricio Pochettino the opportunity to bring in new players. Pochettino has successfully secured the signings of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson and remains hungry for more.
According to Evening Standard, Chelsea want to sign Montpellier striker Elye Wahi before sending him on a season-long loan to the newly-purchased RC Strasbourg.
Atletico Madrid and Eintracht Frankfurt are also keen on securing the services of Wahi, 20, whose stock has gone up following a fantastic season with Montpellier in Ligue 1. He netted 19 goals and laid six assists in 33 games in 2022/23 as Montpellier finished 12th in the table.
The report adds the France Under-21 international is keen for Chelsea and Montpellier to find an agreement, allowing him a pathway to the Premier League through partner club Strasbourg, which is currently managed by Patrick Vieira.
Elye Wahi to Chelsea—Should the Blues make an improved offer for the youngster?
Chelsea want to heavily pile the team with some of the world’s best young talents who would be capable of moving to Stamford Bridge in a couple of years and challenge for a spot in the first team. They have signed Angelo Gabriel from Santos—one of the highly-rated talents in Brazil—and are now planning to loan him out to RC Strasbourg.
The Blues have the same plan for Elye Wahi, with the Premier League club spending a lot of time in negotiations with Montpellier does suggest how highly he is rated in France. Wahi enjoyed his breakthrough campaign for Montpellier in 2021/22, when he scored 10 goals and provided two assists in 33 Ligue 1 appearances. He enhanced his reputation further with 19 goals and five assists in 33 league appearances last term, thus, attracting interest from Chelsea, Atletico Madrid, Spurs and Frankfurt this summer.
A raw commodity, Wahi isn’t currently deemed ready for Chelsea, so a temporary move away could aid his development. And perhaps a move to Strasbourg on loan—currently managed by Patrick Vieira—should do well for his progress. The 20-year-old will get to stay in France for another year or two and improve different facets of his game under Vieira before returning to Chelsea as someone ready to fight for a place in the senior side.
He has a desired profile among top clubs, and the Pensioners could benefit from the striker gaining more first-team experience in France rather than spending time on the bench. Presently, Wahi will have no room to showcase his talents at Chelsea. Moreover, the west Londoners won’t compete in Europe this season, so the youngster will not be expected to get regular chances to impress under Mauricio Pochettino.
Given how Chelsea are determined to sign Wahi this summer before loaning him out to Strasbourg, they should make a new and improved bid for the Montpellier striker.
