Chelsea face major Premier League competition for €20m wonderkid

Cameron Smith

• 6 Feb 2024 16:40 CST
• 3 min read

Chelsea reportedly face competition from Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion in the race to sign FC Copenhagen wonderkid Roony Bardghji.

The 18-year-old is wanted by several Premier League clubs after his impressive debut Champions League campaign, in which he scored a memorable 87th minute winner against Man Utd.

Chelsea have held interest in Bardghji for some time amid their new transfer policy of signing the best young talents in world football, however the Blues will not have a free run at signing the Swedish star.

According to The Express, Chelsea face competition from the aforementioned Premier League clubs, although they have been handed a boost following recent comments by Copenhagen sporting director Peter Christiansen.

What has been said?

Christiansen told Danish outlet Bold.dk: “Roony’s time will come. I’m sure of that. We know what dreams and talent he has, but he’s a humble boy who works insanely hard on the training ground.

“He has his dreams, and that is a huge driving force for him. But that’s just the way it is at Copenhagen.

“After all, it’s the market that determines what the price will be. It’s clear that the bigger the club, the more muscle they have financially, and so the transfer will be bigger for us.

“I’m sure he’ll probably get the opportunity at some point, but it wasn’t in this window. But he certainly has the potential for it, but let’s see.”

Copenhagen reportedly want a fee of around €20 million for Bardghji, which aligns with his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €18.2m. They are, however, anticipating a bidding war for his services, which could drive up the asking price.

Bardghji has scored seven goals in 17 league appearances for Copenhagen so far this season, while his current contract at the Danish club runs until 2025. As a result, they may need to offload him this summer.