Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Chelsea interest in ‘insane’ star confirmed by club chief after heroics against Man Utd

Copenhagen attacker Roony Bardghji and Bayern defender Alphonso Davies

The sporting director of Danish club FC Copenhagen, Peter Christiansen, has confirmed there is ‘a lot of interest’ in Roony Bardghji, with Chelsea rivalling Brighton & Hove Albion for the exciting youngster.

Bardghji is an 18-year-old right winger who can also operate at centre-forward or as a central attacking midfielder just behind the main striker. He spent time in both the Malmo and Copenhagen youth setups before gaining promotion to Copenhagen’s senior squad in January 2022.

Bardghji mainly picked up game time through substitute appearances last term, but he has developed hugely since then and is currently enjoying a breakout season.

So far, the starlet has managed 11 goals in 27 matches across all competitions. That includes an excellent 87th-minute strike to help Copenhagen record a famous 4-3 victory over Manchester United in the Champions League group stage on November 8.

That goal has helped Copenhagen surprisingly challenge for qualification from Group A. Following their 0-0 draw at Bayern Munich on Wednesday, and Man Utd’s frustrating 3-3 draw with Galatasaray, Copenhagen sit second on five points, ahead of third-placed Galatasaray through their superior goal difference.

Given Bardghji’s memorable goal against Man Utd, and his impressive performances throughout the rest of the campaign, it is unsurprising that Copenhagen are facing growing interest in his services.

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Earlier this month, it emerged that Chelsea are ‘crazy’ about adding him to their ranks. But on November 17, Brighton started to battle Mauricio Pochettino’s side for the deal, which is expected to cost £30million plus add-ons.

In an interview with TV4, Copenhagen chief Christiansen has discussed the teenager. He has labelled Bardghji an ‘insanely exciting player’ and effectively confirmed that Chelsea and Brighton are among a host of top clubs vying to secure his signature.

‘A lot of interest’ in Chelsea, Brighton target

“There’s a lot of interest in Roony and there has been for a long time. He’s a great talent. He is a hyped player and has been for years. Scoring a goal against Manchester United turns it up a bit, that’s for sure,” Christiansen said (via Fotbollskanalen and Sport Witness).

“He is an insanely exciting player and now he got the chance from the start. Then we’ll see if he can deliver on the biggest stage in Europe.”

When asked if Copenhagen will demand a huge sum when selling the Kuwait-born Sweden U21 international, Christiansen replied: “Yes, I think so. We decide that. The clubs that want Roony have to pay a lot of money, or he will stay for a couple of years at FC Copenhagen.

“We have sold players for three-digit million [Danish krone] amounts in the last three years. It also applies to Roony Bardghji.”

It is very interesting that both Chelsea and Brighton are trying to snap Bardghji up. In recent years, Brighton have developed young players into top Premier League stars, prompting Chelsea to spend big money on players such as Moises Caicedo.

However, in this case, Chelsea want to beat Brighton to Bardghji, which should prevent them from paying an astronomical fee for him in a few years’ time.

Meanwhile, Chelsea could lose out on a player recommended to them by Mykhailo Mudryk, as Man Utd have reportedly entered the chase to sign him.