Premier League Rumors: Chelsea Favored To Land Young Stoke City Defender

Chelsea FC, Arsenal and Manchester United continue their race for young talent who they can take in by the next transfer window. With football action on indefinite suspension, both teams are left studying their prospects with the only means of communicating is via voice or video. And one player that both are trying to secure is Stokes City defender Nathan Collins.

As far as Manchester United is concerned, this would be the second run they have on Collins. They were interested in taking in the 18-year-old last year but fell short when Stoke beat them to him. A reason behind that is the Red Devils stalled on signing the Irish defender. If United is wise, they cannot afford to do the same thing again with the Blues and the Gunners seemingly intent on taking him in.

As of this writing, United is keeping tabs on Collins ahead of the summer transfer window. The Gunners are doing pretty much the same thing and have done broader scouting on the defender regularly thus far. The Blues are another team determined in getting Collins, said to be at the head of the pack, according to The Sun.

The thing about Collins is that he seems to be a bit rough behind the edges. He is still inexperienced but most see him physically fit to compete at the highest level for any club.

The fact that Chelsea is expected to spend heftily this coming transfer window has made them favorites to win the services of Collins. But aside from the Irishman, the team needs to address key positions in the team. There are at least two areas that need addressing according to ex-Chelsea defender Frank Sinclair to GentingBet.

"There are two obvious positions in which Chelsea need to improve their squad – left-back and a striker," Sinclair said. "Both left-backs this season, Emerson and [Marcos] Alonso, haven’t grasped that position and played a lot of games consistently."

Chelsea has been linked to several players in the next transfer window. In a previous post, Jadon Sancho was singled out as another top target by Frank Lampard. With the Blues general manager turning to youth for success for the Blues, Sancho could be a perfect fit for the club moving forward.

The Blues have a lot of work to do as they target several young and future football stars. But like most, they need to wait and see what lies ahead for the league. Currently, on indefinite suspension, the debate right now is whether the season will resume or scrapped altogether.