Chelsea are set to go toe-to-toe with Barcelona to sign Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey in January, according to reports. Chelsea have been tracking Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey for months and are reportedly prepared to make a move in January. He left Genk for Bayer Leverkusen in the winter last season. And just a year after joining the Bundesliga side, The Sun claim Chelsea want to snap him up for £20m.
The Blues are said to have sent scouts to watch him three times, although Barcelona may well have a say in the matter as they also hold a huge interest in the Jamaican. Bailey is rated as one of the most promising young talents in the Bundesliga and has scored 5 goals and 2 assists in his 11 league outings this season.
The Premier League champions are said to have the upper hand in negotiations, having already held talks with Leverkusen. And they are said to be willing to loan Bailey back to the German side for the remainder of the season, should a deal be agreed.
Bailey is the latest in a line of young talents that Chelsea have made a habit of signing with a view to developing their potential. But it is understood that the youngster is not the player who Antonio Conte is interested in signing.
In contrast, given Chelsea’s reputation of loaning out their young players and failing to give them enough opportunities at Stamford Bridge, it could be a risky move for Bailey to leave Leverkusen, where he’s enjoying the much-needed playing time he needs in order to develop and improve his game.
The failures from the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ola Aina, Tammy Abraham and Nathaniel Chalobah to break into Conte’s first-team plans are glaring proofs there is no chance for Chelsea’s youth. While Loftus-Cheek, Aina and Abraham are spending time on-loan at Crystal Palace, Hull City and Swansea respectively, Chalobah turned down a lucrative new contract at Chelsea to join Marco Silva’s Watford this summer.
So in Bailey’s case, Conte should avoid the mistake of signing him if he really doesn’t see the wonderkid fit into his first-team plans. The Jamaican winger, if at all he receives Chelsea’s offer, could be reluctant to join us given our history with the youngsters.