Chelsea After French Prodigy?

Chelsea After French Prodigy?

Chelsea could be making another surprise move, as they are reportedly chasing the signature of Saint Etienne defender Kurt Zouma, who is being offered by the French side for a reported £10 million, easily affordable for the London based outfit.

Jose Mourinho is looking to build a strong foundation at the club, and that can only be possible by setting up an exceptional youth squad that can constantly push the senior squad for a place in the setup. The Portuguese has been doing a lot of work behind the scenes trying to weigh up different options for the club to pursue, after heavy negotiations continued for bigger signings.

Buying a young player from a club where he already plays regularly would mean giving the player a chance to prove his worth in front of the new club. However, with the improvement in form of Gary Cahill and David Luiz, many defenders have shunned offers made by the club. The existence of players like John Terry, Cahill and Luiz poses a big challenge to any youngster who tries to win a place in the starting lineup, never-mind the main senior squad.

Zouma has plied his trade primarily in France, and has had his entire youth development in the country. His early days started in the youth academy of Vaulx-en-Velin in 2005, where he started his intense training, before being recognized by St. Etienne. He was brought over to the club to join their youth system, giving him an exposure against difficult opposition. However, he impressed the coaches quickly, and was offered his first professional contract in 2011. The 18-year old has represented the club on 40 occasions in the league, scoring 4 goals.

According to DailyMail, Zouma’s agent has suggested that the defender has a variety of options to choose from in terms of clubs interested, but ensured that the current parent club are in a strong position to keep hold of the highly-rated defender.

The agent revealed, “If Kurt stays with St Etienne next season, he will continue to grow. He doesn’t have any fierce desire to leave.”

“It is true there are interest from various clubs but St Etienne are in the driving seat.”

It remains to be seen whether Chelsea can pull the deal off, especially considering their insistence on finalizing a deal for a striker instead.