Chelsea eye SHOCK move for Sporting CP wonderkid

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 23 Dec 2024 04:40 CST
• 3 min read

Chelsea are set to rival Leeds United in the race to sign Sporting CP midfielder Dario Essugo next summer.

The 19-year-old is currently on loan at La Liga side Las Palmas, but he is being monitored by multiple clubs ahead of 2025 and Chelsea have reportedly joined the race to sign him amid their search for the best young players in Europe.

Essugo has featured on 12 occasions for Las Palmas so far this season, scoring once, and Leeds are eager to lodge a loan-to-buy offer for the Sporting CP teenager, according to The Sun.

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The report also claims that Chelsea are interested in signing the midfielder as Enzo Maresca’s side continue to scour the globe for the biggest prospects in world football.

Chelsea already have a plethora of central midfielders at the club, but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casadei have all been linked with an exit and Essugo could be purchased as a result.

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Chelsea’s January transfer plans

While Chelsea are interested in landing Essugo in 2025, the majority of their January business is expected to be outgoings.

A number of Blues stars have been linked with the exit door and Maresca recently admitted that several players could depart during the mid-season transfer window.

“There are players who unfortunately didn’t play a lot with us in all the competitions, like [Ben] Chilwell, like Carney [Chukwuemeka],” the Chelsea boss recently told reporters.

“They are probably the first who want to leave because they work every day, they train every day. They want to play games, and if they don’t play games probably they are thinking to leave."

Maresca continued: “I think each player is in a different situation so we are going to see if any of them is coming to knock on the door and say: ‘I want to leave.’ We will try to find a solution. Personally I am not worried about the next three months, if the players are happy or not.

“All I can say is that we still have many games and if they do the right things and work properly they are all going to have chances to play.

“For instance next week we have three games and the FA Cup will start in January. We try to pick the right ones for each game, and then we’ll see.”