Chelsea Rumors: Blues Reportedly 'In Pole Position' To Sign 'New Romelu Lukaku'

Chelsea is reportedly close to signing a youngster who is being compared to former Blues striker Romelu Lukaku.

Frank Lampard has been quite aggressive in recruiting young talents for the Blues ahead of the summer. The Premier League giants are still linked to German sensation Kai Havertz, but recent reports revealed that Lampard’s side is close to sealing a deal with teenage goal scorer Mohamed Sankoh.

It has been reported in the past that several clubs across Europe’s top five leagues have been chasing the 16-year-old striker currently signed by Stoke City F.C. According to Teamtalk, the struggling Championship club had already offered Sankoh a new deal to keep him safe from Premier League club suitors.

However, a Stoke source claimed that Chelsea is now “in pole position to sign” the prolific youngster being dubbed as the “new Lukaku.”

The report further noted that Sankoh’s contract would be an initial scholarship converted into a professional contract when he turns 17 in October.

But despite reportedly having a huge advantage in the race to sign Sankoh, the Blues are not the only club keen on luring the impressive striker. Reports claim that there is also significant growing interest from another Premier League club, Tottenham Hotspur. It has been said that the Spurs have also already offered Sanko a contract.

Everton and Celtic are also reportedly keen on pursuing the Lukaku-like forward.

However, the report mentioned that getting Sankoh would require his buyers to pay a compensation fee to Stoke City for development costs.

Sankoh was signed by Stoke from Sparta Rotterdam in 2018. Since then, the Dutch forward has been capped by Holland at the Under-17 level. He also impressed at Stoke Under-18s earlier this season with his incredible goal scoring.

The comparisons to former Chelsea forward Lukaku eventually came after Sankoh’s physique and athleticism saw him thrive in the Potters Under-23 side against more experienced players.

Sankoh is arguably the hottest property in the Championship club's academy today. He is also eligible to represent Sierra Leone.

It wouldn’t come as a surprise if Lampard will soon be able to convince Sankoh to join Chelsea. Despite being only in his second year as the Blues’ manager, Lampard’s ability to attract young talents has been greater than many anticipated.

Some pundits believe that being the Blues’ all-time leading goal-scorer and one of the best attacking midfielders in history has contributed to Lampard’s charisma, and he’s been utilizing it to add key players to his side.