Chelsea exploring move to sign 17-year-old winger from Premier League rivals next summer: Reports 

Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing 17-year-old Jerry Desse from Crystal Palace in the summer.

Since Todd Boehly took ownership reins of the West London club, their transfer strategy has taken a significant shift as they are poised to sign young talents from across the world.

Desse, who is currently playing for the U-18 section of Crystal Palace, has continued to perform at the top level at the London-based club. The 17-year-old was named Under-18s player of the season last time and has continued from where he left off this season.

In the ongoing term, he has scored nine goals and provided two assists in 17 appearances across the U-18 and U-21 sections of the London-based club. A thorough analysis of Jerry Desse’s profile indicates that he predominantly plays as a right winger, although he has also been utilized in the role of a left winger.

Chelsea signed two high-profile wingers last summer in Pedro Neto and Joao Felix. Now, recent reports have claimed that the Blues are keen on reinforcing their squad.

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea are set to sign another young player in the summer transfer window and have identified Crystal Palace prodigy Jesse Derry as a potential target.

Meanwhile, Derry’s contract with Palace will run out this summer, providing the Blues with the opportunity to acquire his services on a Bosman transfer.

Adding to the intrigue, The Athletic said the English winger rejected a contract extension offer from his childhood club and revealed his intention to leave in the summer.

Chelsea step up interest to land Arsenal target - Reports

Reports

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is reportedly 'obsessed' with the idea of signing Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams, who is also a key transfer target for Arsenal. The two London clubs have been long-term admirers of the Spanish winger, as both clubs are poised to make reinforcements to their flanks.

As per Football Transfers, Chelsea are actively seeking a new left winger in the aftermath of Mykhailo Mudryk's provisional suspension from the sport.

However, reports from Spanish outlet El Nacional claim that Arsenal has become the leading candidate to sign Nico Williams. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is said to see the Spaniard as an apt replacement for Bukayo Saka in attack and that he would fit perfectly into his line-ups.

The report further claimed that the Gunners were already in talks with Williams and his agent as they hoped to bring him to the Emirates. However, the Gunners are now facing huge competition from Chelsea for the acquisition of Nico Williams.

The Spanish outlet claims that BlueCo owner Todd Boehly has submitted an offer described as 'practically impossible to refuse' for Williams. The offer is said to be valued at a net annual salary of €20 million and valued for the next five seasons, that is, until 2030.

Williams last signed a new contract with Bilbao in 2023 and his current contract with the club is set to expire in 2027.