Chelsea and Tottenham hot in pursuit of teenage defender transfer

Chelsea and Tottenham are still chasing Lecce left-back Patrick Dorgu - despite the player penning a new contract in Italy.

The highly-rated 19-year-old enjoyed an eye-catching breakthrough campaign in Serie A last season and has since earned three caps for the Danish national side.

And Dorgu has now signed fresh terms with Lecce too, with his new deal set to run until the summer of 2029.

However, the Italian outfit remain mindful that his long-term future is still likely to lie away from the club as the vultures continue to descend upon their star talent.

Spurs had the teenager on their summer shortlist as potential cover for Destiny Udogie with Ben Davies also set to enter the final six months of his current deal in north London in January.

But stubborn negotiators Lecce were quoting a figure upwards of £25million for his services and their asking price is now expected to rise beyond the £30m mark following Dorgu's contract extension.

Chelsea, who have heavily scouted the defensive gem, had initially planned to utilise their multi-club network by signing the youngster at sister club Strasbourg but the numbers involved were too costly to complete the operation.

Dorgu's representative Maurice Ogbodo has links with Base Soccer, a world-renowned British agency that has a close working relationship with a host of top Premier League sides.

Lecce technical director Pantaleo Corvino was keen to move quickly to tie up a contract extension at the start of the new season in a bid to strengthen his hand in future talks with potential suitors.

Incredibly Lecce paid a figure worth in the region of just £165,000 for the prodigy back in 2022 when he was signed for their U19 team from Danish side FC Nordsjaelland and they now look set to bank mega profit.

Now Dorgu is widely regarded as one of the best left-backs in Italy and one of the best young full-backs in European football with AC Milan also among those credited with an interest. He made 32 Serie A appearances last season, scoring two goals.

While Tottenham currently appear to be leading the transfer race, Dorgu is a self-confessed Chelsea supporter, which could impact any decision over his future.