Chelsea are reportedly confident that they have beaten fellow Premier League clubs Manchester City and Arsenal in pursuit of Hamburg youngster Jann-Fiete Arp.
According to The Mirror, Chelsea are growing increasingly confident that they have managed to rise above the widespread interest in Hamburger SV striker Jann-Fiete Arp. The youngster has also seen Manchester City and Arsenal join the growing list of admirers.
Jann-Fiete Arp is a welcome talent in the German footballing scene, with the National Team missing a predator upfront after the retirement of Miroslav Klose. The 17-year-old has been prodigious for the German Under-17 setup, with 15 goals in 17 games.
The right-footed striker is contracted to Hamburger SV till 2019 and talks over an extension are already underway between the parties, according to the report. However, Arp’s stock has risen by a significant amount, especially after making his senior Bundesliga debut, bagging 2 goals in 5 appearances this season so far.
The 17-year-old had been courting interest from Bayern Munich and Chelsea, with the Blues thought to be in the lead. And now we have seen the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal join the chase as well. Hamburg president Heribert Bruchhagen though, has no plans of selling the striker and expects Arp to sign an extension at the club.
“He will stay with us. His advisor Jürgen Milewski has promised me and sporting director Jens Todt. He will develop with us,” he told Bild, according to the report.
And the love seems to be mutual. Hamburg – a club Arp joined at the age of 10 – is the club that has seen a young chirping boy blossom into a deadly weapon in attack. His exploits were all the more evident in the Under-17s, where he managed a record of 37 goals in 45 appearances. Now a part of the first-team, the player is earning plaudits around the world.
Even club manager Markus Gisdol described the 17-year-old striker as ‘a great talent’ and iterated that the club must retain the services of the youngster.
Jann-Fiete Arp is a 17-year-old striker making history in the Bundesliga.
He turned down Chelsea in the summer and models himself on Harry Kane.
Read more: https://t.co/tWzxxHzPgM pic.twitter.com/46Ma0tHoUu
— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) November 20, 2017
But, Chelsea may rain on Hamburg’s parade, with the Blues thought to be in the lead and are confident to have beaten others to Arp. Chelsea were one of the first teams to take note of the player’s talent and have been linked with him since the summer.
The Blues had, in fact, attempted to sign him in the summer itself, only to be refuted by Arp, who wanted to continue his development at Hamburg for the time being. Chelsea duly obliged, but they are unlikely to wait longer, especially with him gaining so much attention for his blazing senior Bundesliga debut.
It will be interesting to see whether Chelsea, who believe they have managed to get their man, actually end up signing Arp or whether the 17-year-old decides to extend with his current club, where he has already achieved first-team status.
