Chelsea target Monaco’s ‘next Mbappe’
Robin Bairner
- 18 Nov 2023 09:34 GMT
- 3 min read
Chelsea are closely following Monaco phenomenon Malamine Efekele, who has been dubbed the ‘next Kylian Mbappe’.
The 19-year-old may be waiting on his Monaco debut, but he has featured on the bench on several occasions for Adi Hutter’s Ligue 1 title hopefuls and has attracted the interest of a string of leading clubs around Europe.
Foremost among these, in terms of their stature, are Chelsea, who have been attracted to the winger’s speed, dynamism and technical qualities.
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The Blues, though, face competition from Valencia and, more pertinently, from Bundesliga clubs in order to sign the teenager, who is equally a player Monaco wish to retain.
Under contract until 2025, the Ligue 1 club are not yet in any rush to sell, though that situation could change by next summer if no new deal has been secured.
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Why Efekele is the 'new Mbappe'
Efekele has numerous similarities to Mbappe, which are more extensive than the fact that he is a quick winger who has come through the academy of Monaco.
Indeed, the comparisons between the journey of the two players started long before, with Efekele turning out for AS Bondy, the club that produced the PSG superstar, during his younger days. Indeed, he was even coached by Wilfried Mbappe, Kylian’s father, at the Paris club.
From there, he went to the Clairefontaine academy before being picked up by Monaco, who beat off many suitors to secure his signature.
He has not quite made the immediate impact that Mbappe did at Monaco, however, with his processor breaking into the first team at the age of 16. Efekele, however, has represented France up to U20 level and has been performing well with the Monaco youths, scoring four goals and setting up five more already this season.
Efekele is, however, training with the Monaco first team on a regular basis, suggesting that his debut is not too far away.
