Chelsea looking at £50m Jude Bellingham, 16, transfer but it could scupper new contract for starlet Faustino Anjorin
CHELSEA’S £50million pursuit of Birmingham’s Jude Bellingham could dent hopes of tying fellow whizkid Faustino Anjorin to a long contract.
SunSport exclusively revealed the Blues have joined Manchester United, Real Madrid and Barcelona in eyeing Brum’s youngest-ever first-teamer, 16-year-old Bellingham.
But although Stamford Bridge boss Frank Lampard has pushed youngsters forward this season, chasing Bellingham might make it even harder to persuade 18-year-old Anjorin to sign a new deal up until 2025.
Goal.com suggest Chelsea have already been struggling to keep Anjorin, whose debut came as a sub in the 7-1 EFL Cup win over Grimsby last September.
Versatile Bellingham and Anjorin are reasonably similar players,, although the latter’s style has more often been compared to the all-round talents of Chelsea’s England star Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
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The Blues lost England Under-20 defender Tariq Lamptey to Brighton over the summer as their academy aces press for regular top-flight action.
But Reece James, Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori have enjoyed breakthrough seasons.
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And Callum Hudson-Odoi has also won the first-choice spot many believed he deserved last term.
Lampard, though, has admitted he is ready to spend big in the next transfer window after failing to make any signings in January.
Ajax’s Morocco winger has already been recruited for £33m, with Borussia Dortmund wideman Jadon Sancho, Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell and RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner reportedly amongst Chelsea’s other main targets.