Chelsea are reportedly poised to complete the signing of 18-year-old Brighton starlet Zak Sturge, who was also on the radars of Leeds United and Tottenham.
According to 90 Min, Chelsea are set to capture the services of teenage left-back Zak Sturge from Premier League rivals Brighton & Hove Albion. The young defensive prospect was also being pursued by Leeds United and Tottenham but the Blues seem to have beaten them to the punch.
A product of the Brighton & Hove Albion youth setup, Sturge broke into the club’s Under-18 side in 2020 and has established himself as a regular, racking up 41 appearances in which he has five assists. The teenage defender has also made three appearances for the Seagulls’ Under-23 team so far. Sturge has represented the England Under-18 national team on three occasions as well.
Sturge is a talented young defender held in high regard within the club. However, the 18-year-old has refused to sign a new contract with Brighton, sparking the interest of several clubs in the Premier League, including Chelsea and Leeds United, along with Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea have been monitoring Sturge for some time now and even had a couple of bids rejected for him during the January transfer window. The Blues are in the market to strengthen their resources in the left-back position amidst question marks over the future of Marcos Alonso, who is likely to join Barcelona this summer.
It would leave manager Thomas Tuchel with just Ben Chilwell as the only option at left-back. While Sturge is yet to make his first-team debut for Brighton, he could find himself fast-tracked into the senior setup at Chelsea should Alonso leave, although the chances are that he ends up becoming a part of the Blues’ Under-23 setup.
Leeds United had also shown strong interest in Sturge, which would be in line with their recruitment policy that has seen them pick up young and exciting talents in recent windows. And given manager Jesse Marsch’s propensity to push youngsters, the 18-year-old might have had a shot at first-team football if he were to move to Elland Road.
However, it is Chelsea who have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Sturge this summer, beating Leeds as well as Tottenham Hotspur, who had also shown an interest in the 18-year-old despite having Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon as options at left wing-back.
As per the report, Chelsea are working on finalising a deal for the teenager. While they could have signed Sturge on a nominal compensation, the west London club are hoping to come to an agreement with Brighton over a fee. Whether the youngster gets a chance at playing senior football with Chelsea or is slotted in with the reserves will be interesting to see.
