Transfer news: Arsenal and Chelsea have seen their targets overlap in the market once more as USMNT star emerges as new option
Chelsea were denied the chance to sign former Arsenal midfielder and current USMNT ace Yunus Musah in January as their plan to revamp in the middle of the park continues. The Blues are now looking at Moises Caicedo, who football.london understands is the priority target.
Should they sell that group, it could bring in a combined £100m ($124m), a sizeable fee that coud fund their next incoming player.
Even with January signing Enzo Fernandez and the highly-rated crop of young players signed under Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital, it is a lot of change for one position. The signs are that experience is not a major factor in their recruitment process, though, with another young option emerging.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, speaking on the In Soccer We Trust podcast, Musah has been on the radar at SW6 for a while. "I think he's going to leave, this was already planned in January," he explained. "I can reveal to you that in January Chelsea were really serious for Musah.
"They wanted Musah, they really wanted Musah, but Valencia decided to keep the player because they wanted to avoid relegation, so it was really important to keep Musah. But then they promised him the possibility to leave the club in the summer.
"This is why I think there is a good possibility for Musah to go. Inter really appreciate him, but he's too expensive at the moment so I don't see that as an easy option for Musah. I would keep Chelsea again there because they've been following him and they really rate him highly, so keep an eye on Chelsea again."
"Of course, he started in the Arsenal academy. And he’s a player that’s really appreciated there," Romano added. "At the moment, it’s not something concrete or something advanced, but that kind of player could be interesting for Arsenal. I think he will be on the move and I think for Valencia it will be reallly complicated to keep Musah next season."
As for the player himself, he hasn't ruled out a return himself. "You never know. I had a great time at Arsenal developing there, I still have friends there, the coaches were great, being an Arsenal player in general is great," he said.
"I loved playing for Arsenal. I’ve nothing against the club and if one day it turns out to be that it’s time to go back then it’s possible."