Chelsea To Battle For Zouma

Chelsea To Battle For Zouma

According to the Metro, Chelsea are battling hard with Inter Milan and Monaco for the signature of St. Etienne defender Kurt Zouma, after the youngster has been on the radar of many clubs due to the sheer physical nature of his game.

Even though Chelsea have the likes of Gary Cahill, John Terry and David Luiz in defence, the youth setup of the club adds new talents every year to prepare for the future. Jose Mourinho’s side took the lead in the title race ahead of Arsenal’s Monday night fixture against Aston Villa, by winning against Hull City Tigers on Saturday night but Man City grabbed the lead back with their win over Newcastle on Sunday.

Zouma has plied his trade primarily in France, and has had his entire youth development in the country. His early days began in the youth academy of Vaulx-en-Velin in 2005, where he started his intense training, before being signed by St. Etienne. He impressed the coaches quickly, and was offered his first professional contract in 2011. The 19-year old has represented the club on 51 occasions in the league, scoring 4 goals.

The center back is valued in the region of £10 million, and the big clubs see this amount as a good investment for a player whose value is expected to increase considerably over the next few years. However, Chelsea have had the upper hand when it comes to signing young talents from around the world in recent times and will hope to continue the trend this time around.