Chelsea could be set to lose one of their most highly-rated starlets in Jude Soonsup-Bell as Manchester City have reportedly opened talks to sign the striker.
Soonsup-Bell, 18, has been part of the Blues' Under-21s side this season and featured in all but one of their UEFA Youth League games. He made his senior debut in December last year under Thomas Tuchel in the 2-0 Carabao Cup win over Brentford - where he played the first 45 minutes before being replaced by Christian Pulisic.
Before joining Mark Robinson's squad, the striker had netted 23 goals in 25 appearances and has represented England at U15s, U16s, U18s and U19s level. However, his chances in the first team have been hard to come by since making his debut and he could be set for a move to one of Chelsea's biggest academy rivals.
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According to the Evening Standard, Manchester City have opened talks with the striker over moving to the Etihad Stadium when his contract expires at the end of the season. The report also states that many English and European clubs are monitoring the Chippenham-born player.
It's not just Soonsup-Bell who the Blues are sweating over the future of, as the reports also claim that midfielder Charlie Webster could depart on the back of rejecting several contract offers. Webster is a mainstay in the Under-23s, like Soonsup-Bell, at only 18 but faces his chances of featuring in the first limited due to the arrivals of Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei.
Earlier in the week, Chelsea defeated Dinamo Zagreb 2-1 in their final Champions League game with top spot and their ticket in the knockout stages already confirmed. However, Graham Potter used many first team players instead of handing minutes to youth players and the Blues boss explained his decision before the game.
"As I said before I don't think it's a time to be using young players just for the sake of it," he said.
"I think we have to be competitive and respectful of the competition. There are still teams looking for points for their own qualification. So from our perspective we have try and pick a team we think can win the game.
"We've used a lot of young players like you said, a lot of them have been impressive, I like the character, I like the personality and it's been an important part of how we've started here at Chelsea to get closer to the academy guys and to get to know them."
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