Chelsea '100%' want to sign £43m star 'similar to Mbappe' at Stamford Bridge

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·24 September 2023

Chelsea '100%' want to sign £43m star 'similar to Mbappe' at Stamford Bridge

Highlights

Chelsea could be interested in signing a £43m star, after failing to acquire him this summer.
The talent is compared to Kylian Mbappe by talent scout Jacek Kulig.
Journalist Ben Jacobs has hinted that Chelsea may not be his only suitors in 2024.

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Chelsea could return for Club Brugge forward Antonio Nusa at Stamford Bridge in 2024, as journalist Ben Jacobs provides GIVEMESPORT with an internal from the player’s side on a potential transfer, whilst talent scout Jacek Kulig compares him to Kylian Mbappe.

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Blues head coach Mauricio Pochettino has already seen a mass exodus of his squad during the summer.

According to the Evening Standard, Chelsea could return for Nusa’s services after being unsuccessful in their attempts to acquire his signature at Stamford Bridge this summer. The same outlet also credits Arsenal with an interest in the 18-year-old. The Blues were interested in a £23m move for Nusa at the end of the summer window, but his former coach at Stabaek, Gaute Larsen, convinced him to remain at Brugge (via Sport Witness):

“I said that he should stay at Club Brugge, and he wanted that too, especially now that he plays more. There’s no hurry. I told him that there will be offers again in January or next summer because big clubs all over the world are following him.”

Nusa himself has also had his say on the potential transfer, speaking after a deal collapsed (via the Evening Standard):

“I already knew that it wasn’t going to happen, but then the money came on the table. Then it’s seen in a slightly different way. We had to have another conversation when the money arrived, but we were on the same page, so there was no problem there. I knew what to do anyway, so it was fine.”

GMS sources revealed on Deadline Day that Chelsea had tabled a £25.7m bid to secure Nusa’s services, but ultimately, a deal could not be agreed.

What have Jacobs and Kulig said about Chelsea and Nusa?

Jacobs claims that Nusa spoke to his manager following Chelsea’s offer and quickly decided he would remain with the Belgian club. However, the journalist has suggested that the Blues could be among several suitors for his services in the 2024 winter and summer markets. Asked if Nusa was a player Chelsea and other Premier League clubs could be scouting, he told GIVEMESPORT:

“Yeah, 100%. Chelsea came in towards the end of the last window for Nusa, and it was made clear to them, with the player driving this narrative, that there wasn't anything possible this year. That's because he's young and currently quite settled at Club Brugge. From what I'm told, Nusa spoke to the manager there and very quickly decided that it was not the right time to move, especially not to Chelsea, because you look at their project full of other young stars, and, to an extent, uncertainty, and unless Chelsea could buy him and, for example, loan him back, his gametime could well have been limited. I think from this point of view, he believes there will be more suitors in 2024, whether in January or the summer and that Chelsea could well be back.”

Meanwhile, Kulig claims that Nusa reminds him of Paris Saint-Germain and France superstar Mbappe and believes he should be worth over €50m (£43m). The talent scout told GIVEMESPORT:

“He's the player that reminds me the most among all the young footballers in the world of Kylian Mbappe. They have similar qualities. He’s fast, has great ball control, and is an excellent dribbler. So, there are many players that I could compare to Mbappe, but not in terms of quality. I think Nusa is the closest in terms of quality to Mbappe.“About his price, the most expensive sale from Club Brugge was Charles De Ketelaere for €37m (£32m). If De Ketelaere costs €37m, Nusa should be over €50m (£43m), in my opinion. It was a great piece of scouting by Brugge. He signed from Stabaek from the second Norwegian division. I already scouted him at Stabaek, but then Brugge signed him. He should cost a lot of money. In my opinion, he should be the most expensive player out of the Belgian Pro League.”

What are Chelsea’s chances of securing Nusa’s signature?

If Chelsea remain focused on their current transfer policy under co-owner and chairman Todd Boehly, don’t be surprised to see Nusa’s signature snapped up very soon. The Blues have maintained a focus on recruiting the planet’s best young talent, including Mykhailo Mudryk, Wesley Fofana and Moises Caicedo.

Nusa is a player who certainly fits into that bracket and could have aspirations of a career in the Premier League following an impressive spell in Belgium. However, whether Chelsea will meet the Pro League outfit’s valuation of the Norway international in 2024 remains an entirely different question.