Enzo Maresca and Ruben Amorim (Photo by Shaun Botterill, Warren Little/Getty Images)
Chelsea have reportedly been working on a transfer deal for highly-rated Burkina Faso wonderkid Mohamed Zongo.
And it now looks like the Blues are considered the favourites to sign the talented 16-year-old attacking midfielder ahead of rivals Manchester United, according to the Daily Mail.
While a deal is not done yet, it sounds like Chelsea’s efforts to secure Zongo have put them in a strong position, despite him having interest from other big clubs like Man Utd, Villarreal, and Anderlecht.
Chelsea fans will no doubt hope this deal can be finalised soon as their club closes in on another exciting signing for their future.
Who is Chelsea transfer target Mohamed Zongo?
The Mail state that Chelsea are among the clubs to have been impressed by Zongo’s performances at the recent Under-17 World Cup with Burkina Faso.
A skilful attacker who can play centrally or out wide, Zongo scored two goals in the tournament as he helped an unfancied Burkina Faso side to the quarter-finals.
The teenager comes from the Tenakourou Academy, and it now seems inevitable that he’s going to be snapped up by a big name in Europe before too long.
It will be interesting to see if Zongo goes straight to Chelsea or if the west London giants use their links with Ligue 1 club Strasbourg first, as they’ve done with some other players in recent times.
Chelsea have generally done well to recruit some of the best young players in world football in the last few years, with their current owners focusing on a long-term project rather than buying superstar names for instant success.
This policy has worked well as they’ve unearthed gems like Cole Palmer, Estevao Willian, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos, and others.
Zongo looks like he could be a good fit at Stamford Bridge, even if it would likely be some time before he’s seriously considered for a regular place in Enzo Maresca’s first-team.