The future of Borussia Dortmund starlet Youssoufa Moukoko is still up in the air despite his perilous contract position. The 18-year-old is currently free to discuss a pre-contract away from the club this month after entering the final six-months of his deal and has potential suitors across Europe.
Chelsea are one of these sides as Todd Boehly looks to continue his youth recruitment policy at the club that has already seen teenagers Andrey Santos, Cesare Casadei, Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina come in for a combined total of around £70million.
Moukoko, with a staggering academy record behind him and now an established part of Dortmund's senior level, would undoubtedly be the biggest coup of the lot. He made his international debut and featured at the World Cup for Germany too but that hasn't made things simple in 2023.
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Dortmund are understandably keen to extend his deal but aren't willing to crumble in the players demands. He, on the other hand, has publicly hit back at claims that he was asking for over £6million-per-year.
With Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle amongst the other sides still interested in bringing him to England either during this window for a fee or in the summer for free, Dortmund have been somewhat pushed into a corner. When asked about the player, club CEO Joachim Watzke said: "If the ideas of both sides are not on the same page, Youssoufa won’t continue with us — this is the ultimate stage."
According to the Evening Standard, clubs may have to match an ambitious swoop from Newcastle in order to seal his services though, with the Magpies willing to pay over £150,000-per-week to the player as incentive for moving to St. James' Park. Meanwhile, Chelsea also face the prospect of missing out on the bargaining power of Champions League football too.
It is a deal that promises to rumble on throughout the year but for now things aren't getting any clearer from Dortmund's camp, which keeps Chelsea in the mix at least.
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