Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

European giants ‘make contact’ over signing Chelsea star; Pochettino to have final say on future

Chelsea stars Ben Chilwell and Armando Broja

Sporting Lisbon are considering making a loan move for Chelsea attacker Armando Broja this summer, according to reports

The 21-year-old was an important player for the Blues at the start of the season before a knee injury stunted his progress.

Broja has enjoyed productive loan spells at Vitesse and Southampton in the past, so there is no doubting his quality. With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Chelsea entertain bids for him this summer.

The Albania international was provided with regular opportunities by Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel. However, after picking up a serious knee injury, he hasn’t played since December.

As it stands, Broja is expected to be fit for the start of the 2023-24 campaign. However, it remains unclear whether he will be in Chelsea’s plans for the future.

The Blues are preparing to appoint a new head coach for next term, with Mauricio Pochettino expected to take up the role at Stamford Bridge. 

With that in mind, Broja’s future will ultimately come down to whether the former Tottenham manager rates him or not.

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Sporting ‘make contact’ with Chelsea over Broja

According to reports coming out of PortugalSporting Lisbon have ‘expressed a desire’ to sign Broja on a season-long loan deal.

They add that Sporting president Frederico Varandes has ‘already travelled to London’ to hold discussions with Chelsea’s representatives.

Allegedly, a number of players have been mentioned in the talks, but Broja is believed to be at the top of the Portuguese club’s shortlist.

Before getting injured this term, the youngster made 12 Premier League appearances – scoring one goal against Wolves.

Although, the majority of these were coming off the bench. As a result, there’s no guarantee he’d be a regular starter under Pochettino.

But, Chelsea certainly need a new striker if they are to climb back up the table – with the Blues currently in 11th.

Pochettino tipped to make Broja decision

Indeed, the London club have scored just 30 goals in 31 games so far – by far the least of any of the other ‘big six’ clubs.

Romelu Lukaku could potentially get himself back into the team after his loan spell with Inter Milan ends. Although, Todd Boehly also has attackers such as Brighton’s Evan Ferguson and AC Milan superstar Rafael Leao on his radar.

From Broja’s point of view, he has to weigh up whether or not his development would be better served heading to Portugal or staying at Stamford Bridge next term.

Sporting are crying out for attacking recruits. They are currently three points adrift of leaders Benfica, while they have scored at least three fewer goals than the top three in the division.

With that in mind, a switch to the Portuguese giants could be a great test for Broja. But, it will be up to Pochettino to decide whether he needs him next term, or not.

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