Chelsea leapfrog Tottenham in race to snap up Stoke wonderkid

Chelsea have reportedly jumped to the front of the queue to sign teenage Stoke sensation Mohamed Sankoh this summer.

A report on Football Insider claims that several top clubs have been chasing the 16-year-old forward, who the Potters are desperate to keep.

The Championship strugglers are said to have offered the youngster a new deal to keep Premier League clubs at bay. However, a Stoke source told Football Insider that Chelsea were in pole position to sign Sankoh.

The contract would be an initial scholarship converted into a professional contract when he turns 17 in October.

But Frank Lampard’s men are not the only top team keen on luring Sankoh from the Stoke Stadium.

There is also strong interest from Tottenham, who have offered him a contract. Both Everton and Celtic are also said to be keen.

Any buyers would, however, have to pay a compensation fee to Stoke for development costs.

Sankoh, who was signed from Sparta Rotterdam in 2018, has been capped by Holland at Under-17 level. He also scored prolifically for Stoke Under-18s earlier this season.

His build and athleticism has also seen him thrive in the Potters Under-23 side against more exprienced players.

Lampard close to securing £22m Chelsea boost as one exit ticked off list

Chelsea have reached an agreement worth €25million (£22.4million) to see full-back Emerson Palmieri move to Inter Milan, according to a report.

Reports have long linked the former Roma left-back with a move back to Serie A, with Juventus allegedly keen.

Indeed, Emerson has only played 14 Premier League games this season. What’s more, he has not featured at all since January, making the bench twice since as an unused substitute.

And while the 25-year-old said in May he was “very happy” in England, previous speculation has claimed he is on a long list of Chelsea stars manager Frank Lampard wants to offload this summer.