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Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are interested in highly-rated Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong as they look to sort out the future of their right-back positions.
The 18-year-old is currently playing in the first team and is tipped for big things at Stamford Bridge, but his status as an academy graduate in a squad that already boasts 44 professionals means PSG and Madrid believe he is a player the club would consider selling, particularly given how profit and sustainability rules ensure that any fee will be counted as pure profit. Chelsea, however, insist internally that Acheampong is not for sale.
The club has therefore considered the departures of the academy graduates as a priority, since the sale price does not have to be weighed against a possible purchase price, which represents “pure profit”. Acheampong fits this profile, which Madrid and PSG are now focusing on. However, they could fight, because he is a young player that the club wants to keep. Manager Enzo Maresca likes him and sees him as an important part of his plans for the future.
Chelsea’s continuation of this policy, and the imminent departure of Conor Gallagher, is known to have caused a stir among the club’s youth teams.
Several top European clubs have already identified the situation as offering opportunities within some of England’s most bloated squads, and Madrid and PSG are both leading the way in the pursuit of Acheampong.
This all comes as the richest clubs are increasingly turning to young talent, in the same way that Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla used to do. Some believe that Manchester United’s acquisition of Leny Yoro for €60m from Lille set a benchmark for this profile of player. The 18-year-old centre-back was priced so high because of factors such as his growth potential and the knowledge that his wages will be low, meaning clubs are essentially investing, as well as – crucially – the fact that he had played 60 games as a senior at Lille.
Acheampong is seen as a similarly-profiled player who can also play as a centre-back in addition to being a right-back, with the only difference between the two being the lack of playing time due to the England international playing for a top Premier League club rather than the French league. As such, Madrid and PSG are both eyeing a potential fee of around €15 million.
Both clubs have similar reasons for their interest, aside from Acheampong’s growing quality. The Spanish and French champions have two of the world’s best right-backs in Dani Carvajal and Achraf Hakimi respectively, but also want backups who can play 20+ games a season while offering a clear succession plan. Acheampong would certainly appear set to play more football than he does in Chelsea’s current squad.
The London club, meanwhile, may be forced to turn to business because of the size of its squad and its own PR restrictions. The spending in the first two years of Clearlake Capital’s ownership era has pushed Chelsea close to the limit, leading to huge pressure to sell in the last two windows.
The club has therefore considered the departures of graduates from the training center as a priority, since the sale price does not have to be weighed against a possible purchase price, which represents a “pure profit”. Acheampong fits this profile, on which Madrid and PSG are now focusing.
The sale of other graduates such as Gallagher, Mason Mount and potentially Trevoh Chalobah has caused a stir in Chelsea’s youth teams, with many of their academy successors now wondering whether they should consider leaving. The policy appears to have had a profound impact at that level.
