Chelsea could be left disappointed in their pursuit of French wonderkid Mohamed-Ali Cho.
The teenage centre-forward, who can also operate on either wing, enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign at Ligue 1 club Angers. He got on the scoresheet in wins over Rennes and Metz.
Cho’s exciting displays saw him labelled a ‘revelation’ by the French media. They also resulted in transfer links with Chelsea, AC Milan and Atletico.
Diego Simeone’s team began proceedings in October by making a formal approach. But Angers held firm and told Atletico to come back with a better offer.
Cho’s future has seemingly been decided, although he will not be moving to the Wanda Metropolitano.
Goal, who cite French source Foot Mercato, report Borussia Dortmund are ‘set to sign’ the player.
They have made ‘concrete progress’ in recent days and are edging closer to finalising a €20million (£16.7m) deal.
17-year-old Cho looks likely to be announced as a Dortmund player this month. He will spend the rest of the campaign continuing his development at Angers, according to the report.
Dortmund have a reputation for nurturing young talent, as shown by past stars Mario Gotze and Jadon Sancho. Chelsea have benefitted from the German club’s system too, with Christian Pulisic joining the Blues for £58m in January 2019.
Despite the setback, Thomas Tuchel still has a number of options to lead his attack. Romelu Lukaku, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner are all at his disposal.
Belgium hitman Lukaku is keen to win the fans back after his recent comments about Tuchel’s system and a potential return to Inter.
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte in strong position to sign star AC Milan duo
Update on Chelsea pursuit
Meanwhile, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has given an update on Chelsea’s hunt for Lucas Digne.
The Everton man could be on the move after falling out with manager Rafa Benitez in early December.
Romano says Chelsea hold an interest in the left-back but are yet to begin discussions. Newcastle have never been a potential suitor, according to Romano’s tweet.
A separate update from online source Football Insider puts Aston Villa in the mix to sign Digne.
Steven Gerrard apparently wants a top-quality defender to compete with Matt Targett. The Villans have made contact with Everton as a result.
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