Star reveals Chelsea bosses blocked dream transfer TWICE

Tom Weber

Updated: 14 Oct 2024 08:34 CDT
3 min read

Strasbourg star Ismael Doukoure has revealed how BlueCo stopped him twice from leaving the club.

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The midfielder is one of the Ligue 1 side's most prized assets. 21 years of age and blessed with bags of talent, the versatile defensive midfielder and centre-back is exactly the kind of player BlueCo have wanted to nurture since taking over Strasbourg in 2023.

To that end, the Chelsea bosses have changed the club's transfer policy, shifting the focus solely to young prospects. This, and the entire takeover in general, has not been well-received by fans but results so far this season are looking encouraging.

As a result, several of Strasbourg's players are of interest to clubs elsewhere and Doukoure is one of them. The Frenchman has been frequently linked with a move away and he has now revealed that he indeed wanted to leave the club on two occasions.

Doukoure not allowed to leave

Speaking to L'Equipe, the midfielder has made no secret of the fact that he wanted out of Strasbourg in the summers of 2023 and 2024. "Once BlueCo arrived, the sales strategy changed,” Doukoure said.

“I wanted to leave during two transfer windows. I wanted to progress more, in another league.” Ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, Strasbourg bosses, including then-coach Patrick Vieira, "found the right words" to convince him to stay but he refused to extend his contract.

He again wanted to make a move this summer, with Wolfsburg heavily linked, but an exit was blocked once more. "The transfer window ended, the season started and I didn’t have the time to ask myself: ‘Should I have done this or that?’"

"Once I understood that I was staying, I didn’t get worked up. There was no awkwardness when I was reintegrated [into the squad],” Doukoure revealed.