Chelsea risk losing key talent with Real Madrid ready to exploit PSR tactic: report

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly (Image credit: Adam Davy)

It’s been another wild summer at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea changing managers, wheeling and dealing in the transfer market and suffering a number of poor preseason results. 

The club’s financial manoeuvres in recent seasons are well documented, with the Todd Boehly regime throwing money around like it was going out of fashion before the Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) bill came in. This has seen them sell several academy players, as homegrown sales go down as pure profit in the accounts. 

And it would appear that teams are cottoning onto the fact that Chelsea are willing to sell their best young stars, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain said to be targeting one of the club’s leading prospects. 

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Eighteen-year-old defender Josh Acheampong is seen as one of the best prospects coming out of the club’s Cobham academy and the Independent report that the two European giants are looking to take advantage of Chelsea’s willingness to sacrifice young players to meet their PSR commitments.

With 44 players on their books, the Chelsea squad is bloated and the report adds that the Blues are willing to sell Acheampong, who can play at right-back and centre-back and is rated as a similar prospect to Leny Yoro, who Manchester United have bought from Lille for £52million this summer.

But while Yoro had played 60 senior games before his move, Acheampong’s lack of first-team action means Real Madrid and PSG believe a deal can be done for €15million, with Chelsea’s PSR standing and the size of their squad also contributing to this cut price valuation.

Chelsea are set to sell Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid, while another academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah is also likely to leave this summer.

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Joe Mewis

For more than a decade Joe Mewis has worked in football journalism as a reporter and editor, with stints at Mirror Football and LeedsLive among others. He is the author of four football history books that include times on Leeds United and the England national team.