Capped from Belgium U-17s to U-21s, Charly Musonda has played a key role in Chelsea’s recent success at youth level starting in both the UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup triumphs. Naturally the next step for the young Belgian is to progress into the seniors, with the 18-year-old insisting his focus is on Chelsea per the Simon Johnson of the Evening Standard:
“My priority is Chelsea and, obviously, if I can get more playing time, I will stay. But if this is not the case, I will ask to go on loan.”
Musonda boasts electrifying pace, silky skills and unerring vision with the versatility to play on either wing or through the middle behind a central striker. Chelsea and Musonda alike will hope to resolve his future with the teenager already rejecting a season-long loan to Vitesse Arnhem, whilst revealing the interest of various teams from Europe and most prominently, Ligue 1:
“There are a lot of great clubs in Europe who are interested in me, including several French clubs. I know that Marseille, Monaco and PSG follow me.”
Indeed Simon Johnson has stated that Musonda is close to agreeing a move to Marseille, despite interest from Valencia and Roma. However according to a report from Foot Mercato, via GFFN, Arsenal have tabled a bid in the region of €12 million.
Such a bid would be audacious to say the least with brittle relations between the two London rivals exacerbated by the recent negotiations concerning the Gunners’ move for Petr Čech. Therefore it remains unlikely that Chelsea would allow one of their most prized assets from their prestigious academy to make the short trip to North London.
