Chelsea have taken serious interest in one of Europe’s most promising young forwards amid his stalled new contract talks, and a move to Stamford Bridge may well be on the cards for him next year.
Enzo Maresca has somehow guided his side to third in the Premier League table, just six points behind league leaders Arsenal, which is made all the more impressive by the sheer amount of injuries they’ve had so far this season.
Levi Colwill, Cole Palmer, Benoit Badiashile, Malo Gusto, Enzo Fernández, Roméo Lavia, Pedro Neto, Dario Essugo, Liam Delap, Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Trevoh Chalobah, Andrey Santos and Josh Acheampong have all been sidelined due to injury or suspension at least once this season, forcing Maresca into a league-high 93 squad rotations.
Much was made about how the Club World Cup, which forced Chelsea to play an unbelievable 65 matches in 53 weeks, could impact the fitness of Maresca’s players, and it is safe to say 24/25’s intense fixture schedule had a long-lasting impact.
While Chelsea spent nearly £300 million in the summer, Maresca was left dissatisfied with his current options, especially at the back.
Rank
Club
Gross Spend
Sales
Net Spend
20.
Bournemouth
£136.7m
£202.5m
+£65.8m
19.
Brighton
£67.7m
£127.5m
+£59.8m
18.
Brentford
£92.8m
£152m
+£59.2m
17.
Wolves
£105.6m
£126.5m
+£20.9m
16.
Chelsea
£296.5m
£314.4m
+£17.9m
Chelsea have been linked with both a new goalkeeper and centre-back heading into 2026, while other media sources suggest that they could also look to sign a head-turning winger despite their current abundance of wide forwards.
One of their top attacking targets is believed to be Juventus sensation Kenan Yildiz.
The Turkey international has been nothing short of a revelation at Juve, finishing 2024/2025 with 12 goals and nine assists in all competitions. He also ended the campaign as their best-performing regular by average match rating per 90, according to WhoScored, with a host of sides linked as Yildiz’s long-term future remains uncertain.
The 20-year-old wants a significant pay rise on his current deal to bring him in line with Juve’s top earners, as befitting his star player status, and Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea ‘really’ like Yildiz as these new deal discussions continue.
Juventus 2-0 Parma Calcio
8.88
Juventus 4-3 Inter Milan
8.51
Juventus 3-1 Udinese
7.55
Juventus 0-0 Torino
7.38
Atalanta 1-1 Juventus
7.10
via WhoScored
Now, according to TEAMtalk, there’s been another update.
Chelsea plot fresh Kenan Yildiz talks after rejected bid and 'very exciting proposal'
The same outlet previously reported that Chelsea had a £62 million bid rejected in the summer and recently made a ‘very exciting proposal’ to his entourage.
In another development, TT writes that Chelsea want to have fresh discussions with Yildiz, on the condition that they’re given encouragement he does, in fact, want to pursue a new challenge.
Right now, it is simply a waiting game from Chelsea’s perspective, as they await the outcome of new Juve contract talks with Yildiz which have currently stalled due to wage demands. The main obstacle in Maresca’s way is Juve’s seismic £79 million valuation of the player, which would more than likely increase in the event of an extension.
That being said, Yildiz represents exactly the type of elite young talent Chelsea should be targeting to elevate their attacking options to a title-challenging level.
Yildiz has averaged a goal contribution every other game this season, bagging three goals and four assists from 14 outings in all competitions, and he’s even been compared to Juve legend Alessandro Del Piero.
The winger loves to cut in from the left, boasting wonderful control technique and the ability to beat a man before unleashing a shot at goal.
Jacek Kulig, an expert on world football’s most elite young talent, has also praised the young forward’s dribbling ability, saying he has “high on-the-ball bravery to make spectacular solo runs”.
Yildiz’s rumoured wage demands of around £5.2 million per year would see him easily fit into Chelsea’s wage structure as well, even sitting between the likes of Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens.