Romano reveals TRUTH behind Chelsea's pursuit of wonderkid Olise alternative
Tom Weber
- Updated: 19 Aug 2023 18:32 BST
- 3 min read
Fabrizio Romano has given an important update on Chelsea's pursuit - or lack thereof - of Bradley Barcola.
The Blues are in the market for an attacker who can feature out wide. They almost had a deal wrapped up for Crystal Palace star Michael Olise after triggering his release clause, but the Frenchman ultimately decided to commit his future to the Eagles.
Some reports claimed that he actively chose to rebuff Chelsea, while others reported that Crystal Palace had threatened legal action had the deal gone over the line as the Blues had 'tapped up' Olise. Either way, Olise is not a Chelsea player and the Blues have had to shift their attention to other targets.
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Nottingham Forest star Brennan Johnson has emerged as a surprise option for the London club, while Lyon youngster Bradley Barcola has also been heavily linked. Fabrizio Romano has, however, now put a dampener on any excitement regarding Chelsea potentially signing the French wonderkid.
What did Romano say?
The Italian transfer expert revealed on his YouTube channel that long-time admirers Paris Saint-Germain still hold the advantage in the race to sign the Lyon winger. "It's true that Chelsea appreciate Barcola," Romano said.
"He's one of many players that they are following," he continued, "he's one of the best talents in his position in the world, so Chelsea are always monitoring these kind of players."
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"But what I'm told is, at the moment, PSG remain the club in advanced talks on [the] player side. PSG started the negotiations for Barcola in June, they made two bids in July - rejected by Lyon - so PSG want to try again for Barcola and remain the favourites."
"Chelsea are informed on the situation, so let's see if they will decide to enter the race, but at the moment PSG [are] leading the race for Bradley Barcola."
