Chelsea are thought to be closing in on the signing of Montpellier forward Elye Wahi, according to an exciting update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.
Who is Elye Wahi?
The 20-year-old has emerged as an exciting young player in France, catching the eye with his attacking performances for Montpellier, having broken into the senior side from the B team back in 2020.
In total, Wahi has scored 32 goals in 91 appearances for his current club, also chipping in with nine assists, but it was last season that really saw him go up a gear. He netted 19 times in just 33 Ligue 1 appearances – only 29 of those were starts – and it was a further sign that the Frenchman is emerging as a big talent.
The three-cap France Under-21 international is out of contract at Montpellier in the summer of 2025, so it increasingly looks as though he will depart in the coming weeks, allowing the French outfit to receive good money for his services rather than lose him for nothing next year.
Chelsea have emerged as the standout candidates to sign Wahi sooner rather than later, and a fresh claim suggests that the transfer could be agreed in the near future.
Are Chelsea signing Elye Wahi?
Taking to Twitter, Romano claimed that Chelsea are making strong progress in their efforts to sign Wahi this summer, with talks believed to be at an advanced stage:
"Understand Chelsea are now advancing in talks to sign Elye Wahi — agreement getting closer, new negotiations round scheduled with Montpellier.
"Chelsea plan includes loan move for Wahi this season then CFC future. Chelsea want to accelerate next week as there’s competition."
This is a hugely exciting update for Chelsea supporters, with Wahi a long-term prospect who could grow into a fantastic attacking player at Stamford Bridge, having already made such a positive impact.
That being said, he has already shown that he can star in one of Europe's top five leagues, so perhaps he should be viewed as an effective squad player from the off, helping fill the Blues' issues up front rather than being loaned out. The west Londoners struggled with the likes of Kai Havertz and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leading the line last season.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has lauded the "constant progress" that Wahi has made in a short space of time, and he has also said that the 2022/23 campaign was "a truly incredible season for the 20-year-old Montpellier jewel".
For too long, it has felt as though Chelsea haven't been focusing on youth enough, with their squad growing old with the likes of Thiago Silva, Kalidou Koulibaly, N'Golo Kante and Aubameyang in it in recent times, but it is encouraging to see the club potentially bringing in a top-quality youngster who can be a big part of the club's success under Mauricio Pochettino for many more years to come.
The Argentine has always been a keen advocate of youth, as he showed during his spell in charge at Tottenham, helping a young Harry Kane and Dele Alli burst onto the scene, and it will be fascinating to see how he uses Wahi, should Chelsea get a deal over the line.
