Chelsea dealt major blow in race to sign Odegaard favourite

Cameron Smith

• 19 Jan 2024 08:51 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea’s hopes of signing Club Brugge wonderkid Antonio Nusa have been dashed following reports that Tottenham Hotspur are in talks to sign him.

Ange Postecoglou’s side have been the most active Premier League club during the January window and they are determined to conduct more business in the form of Nusa.

Radu Dragusin (€25m) and Timo Werner (loan) have both joined Spurs this month, while Hugo Lloris has finally departed and seven players have been sent out on loan, including Eric Dier.

Tottenham are now hoping to beat Chelsea in the race to sign Nusa as they look to add further reinforcements to their attack.

Wales international Brennan Johnson was signed last summer and despite an encouraging start, the 22-year-old only has one goal and four assists in 15 Premier League games so far this season.

As a result, signing a new forward has evidently been identified as a priority by the Spurs hierarchy, hence their pursuit of Nusa.

According to HLN, Tottenham are currently in talks with Club Brugge regarding a move for the winger as they look to sign him permanently before loaning him back for the rest of the 2023-24 season.

The report states that Tottenham would pay an initial fee of around €30 million for Nusa, with add-on payments taking that figure slightly higher.

Nusa, 18, has an Estimated Transfer Value of €10.7m, but it will take a far larger fee for Club Brugge to consider selling their most prized asset.

Chelsea also want Antonio Nusa

Chelsea have been linked with a move for Nusa since 2023, with reports suggesting that a deal was close during the summer transfer window. They even had a €27m Deadline Day bid rejected by Club Brugge, according to The Evening Standard’s Nizaar Kinsella.

Furthermore, he was recently named on the Blues’ transfer shortlist of five attackers, alongside the likes of Victor Osimhen and Ivan Toney. However, Chelsea decided he was not the right profile of player needed at Stamford Bridge right now, as per Kinsella.

Nusa has two goals and two assists in 14 Belgian Pro League appearances so far this season, although he has only started six games.

The Norwegian has already impressed on the international stage and has won the affection of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard. In September, the Gunners star admitted: "He [Nusa] is an incredibly exciting player.

“You see it, everything he gets the ball, it’s exciting. He is still young and will get even better.

“He must continue as he has done. Work hard, be humble. He’s a nice boy. Very calm and nice type. It’s going to be just fine.

“He just has to enjoy the football and continue to deliver as he does. Then it will be good.”