According to The Daily Mail, Chelsea are closing in on a deal to sign 18-year-old defender Xavier Mbuyamba, who has been dubbed ‘the next Virgil van Dijk’.
The highly-rated Dutchman joined Barcelona from MVV Maastricht last summer but has now left the Nou Camp and will look to continue his development elsewhere.
Mbuyamba trained with Chelsea last year but they couldn’t follow up on their interest because he was contracted to Barcelona.
But the Dutchman left the Spanish giants when his contract expired on June 30 and Chelsea are now hopeful they can bring him in on a permanent basis.
The 18-year-old made just three appearances in the UEFA Youth League last season and it was not enough to assure him that his future was in Barcelona.
The starlet’s representative, Carlos Barros, told Voetbal International earlier this year: ‘Almost all major clubs in Europe have asked about Xavier.
‘Real Madrid are also there, they are serious about their youth system, but that would of course be a sensitive switch. ‘Juventus and Inter are interested, as are top clubs from Germany and England. Chelsea have the best papers. Of course we discussed this extensively last year.
‘They really think that in one to two years, he can be in the first team. Frank Lampard has of course already proven that he is not afraid to play with young players. Being in the starting line-up at Chelsea at the age of 20 would, of course, be great.’