Chelsea to re-sign superstar who left five years ago - hijacking rival's statement deal in the process: report

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Chelsea are looking to re-sign a player that left the club five years ago, having grown into a world-class superstar in that time.

In recent times, Chelsea have let a lot of academy graduates and young players leave the club, while the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah have both gone onto have stellar careers following their departures from Stamford Bridge. 

History has repeated itself once more, too, but Chelsea are hoping to rectify that by bringing one impressive European star back to the club. The Blues will face competition for the target's signature, but it seems they're preparing to hijack any potential deal. 

Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez of Chelsea during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Fulham FC at Stamford Bridge on January 13, 2024 in London, England.

Chelsea have spent a lot of money in recent seasons (Image credit: Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)

According to The Guardian, Manchester City are planning a statement signing in the form of Jamal Musiala this summer, but Chelsea are currently monitoring the situation, ready and waiting to hijack any potential deal Pep Guardiola's side might strike with Bayern Munich.

Chelsea will hope they'd be able to persuade Musiala to return to Stamford Bridge after five years away, with the German playmaker having spent eight years in the Chelsea academy as a youngster. After growing concerned that he wouldn't get many first team opportunities, Musiala left for Bayern Munich aged 16.

Clearly, that has proven to be a smart decision for the 21-year-old, having established himself as an important member of the Bayern starting XI. He scored the winner that handed Bayern the Bundesliga last season, while his performances for the Germany national team have impressed, too.

Chelsea target Jamal Musiala of Bayern Munich is challenged by Julian Chabot of 1.FC Köln during the Bundesliga match between FC Bayern München and 1. FC Köln at Allianz Arena on April 13, 2024 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images) (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Musiala could return to Stamford Bridge (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester City, therefore, feel he is the perfect option to provide more creativity to their attacks. And, with just two years remaining on his current deal, Guardiola's side are hoping to take advantage of his situation. 

But the report suggests that Chelsea are keeping track of movements within any potential negotiations taking place, with Musiala still expected to cost more than £100m. Transfermarkt currently values him at £94m. 

Bayern, though, are hoping to tie Musiala down to a long-term deal. In FourFourTwo's opinion, this seems the most likely outcome in the situation, though there's no guarantee he will be offered a contract he deems worthy of signing. That's only when Manchester City's interest will likely become concrete, with Chelsea also looking to get involved.

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Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future. 

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