Chelsea set sights on 20-year-old Nicolas Jackson AFCON teammate

Tom Weber

• Updated: 9 Feb 2024 15:53 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea have added Senegal midfielder Lamine Camara to their shortlist of transfer targets, according to French media.

Though Senegal ultimately had a poor Africa Cup of Nations, bowing out to hosts Ivory Coast on penalties in the round of 16, Camara impressed, being the only player to score more than once on Matchday 1 of the tournament, and doing so from midfield.

The 20-year-old, who plies his trade with Metz in Ligue 1, has emerged as a real gem in recent times and is attracting high-profile attention. According to Le10 Sport, Chelsea are keen to reunite the central midfielder with international teammate Nicolas Jackson at Stamford Bridge.

The likes of Real Betis and Juventus are also said to be interested, with the latter still looking for a long-term Paul Pogba replacement. The Bianconeri, however, could focus on a player closer to home in Teun Koopmeiners of Atalanta, seemingly giving Chelsea a free run at Camara. Unfortunately, it won't be that straightforward.

Camara snubbed Chelsea and will do it again

According to the above-mentioned report, Chelsea already initiated contact with the player's camp in January and the response they received was anything but positive. The player flat-out snubbed the London giants, and he'll likely do so again should they also come calling in the summer.

It is asserted that Camara is not convinced a move to a big English club is the right step at this point in his still-young career. The youngster would prefer to continue his development in France, having only arrived in Europe a year ago. If true, it was certainly a smart decision to snub the Blues.

Mauricio Pochettino's squad is already stacked with midfielders and that's before we take into account that the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka and Romeo Lavia have hardly featured due to injury this season. Fellow young midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, meanwhile, was also barely utilised even when fully fit prior to his enforced spell on the sidelines.