Strasbourg officially sign Chelsea-linked wonderkid

Tom Weber

• Updated: 26 Jul 2024 05:04 CDT
• 4 min read

Strasbourg, not Chelsea, have signed in-demand full-back Gouela Doue.

The former Stade Rennais full-back had been one of Ligue 1's most in-demand players, along with his brother Desire Doue, who is the subject of a €55 million to €60m bidding war between Bayern Munich and PSG.

Rennes, having already lost several big-name players such as Enzo Le Fee, Martin Terrier and Jeanuel Belocian, are also set to see the talented Doue brothers depart. With Desire currently at the Olympics and still mulling over his preferred next move, Guela has now officially completed a transfer.

READ MORE: Chelsea close in on goalkeeper transfer - Romano

Initially, the 21-year-old right-back looked close to joining Galatasaray after they had launched a €6 million bid. However, the Frenchman showed himself unwilling to join the Turkish giants, giving hope to Strasbourg, who were interested in him but had concerns about his salary.

In recent days, the Ligue 1 side's BlueCo affiliate Chelsea were also linked with Doue, but he is now set to stay in France.

Strasbourg sign Doue, Chelsea not involved

Early on Friday, Fabrizio Romano revealed that there was no truth in the links between Doue and Chelsea. Instead, it was to be a deal made by Strasbourg independently unlike, for example, the Caleb Wiley transfer, with the American signing for the Blues before eventually heading to Alsace on loan.

After striking an agreement with Stade Rennais for a €6 million transfer fee with a potential €2m in add-ons, Strasbourg proceeded with their move for Doue. The player has now already been unveiled as a new player of the Ligue 1 side.

READ MORE: Forgotten Chelsea defender Malang Sarr completes transfer

Doue has signed a contract until 2029 and Chelsea were not in any way involved in the deal. The 21-year-old has become the latest highly-rated youngster signed by the French side since the BlueCo takeover last summer, doing business in a similar fashion to Chelsea.