Xavier Mbuyamba during a match for the Netherlands youth team.
According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea are closing in on a move for Dutch starlet Xavier Mbuyamba.
Dubbed the next Virgil van Dijk, the 18-year-old is highly-rated. Mbuyamba joined Barcelona from MVV Maastricht last summer. He has now left the Nou Camp and is a free agent.
The youngster had earlier trained with Chelsea. But the Blues could not keep hold of him as he was contracted to the Catalan outfit.
With his time at the Nou Camp coming to an end, the Blues now have another shot at landing the talented youngster.
The young Dutchman made just three appearances for Barcelona in the UEFA Youth League. It was not enough to convince him to stay put.
It was confirmed by the player’s agent that Chelsea are interested in his client. The Blues have big plans for the youngster and have already prepared an ambitious plan for his development.
Frank Lampard has shown this season that he is not averse to playing youngsters if he deems them good enough. Mbuyamba will however not be thrust straight into the first-team.
A giant at the back, the youngster has made one appearance for the Netherlands Under-19 side. If he progresses as expected, the Blues expect him to move into the first-team in two years.
Building for the future is all well and good. However, the club also needs to address the current issue in the backline. Our back-four has had a season to forget. No other team in the top-ten of the Premier League table has conceded more goals than us this season.
If we are serious about challenging for top honours next season, we cannot afford to ignore what is clearly a problematic area.
It remains to be seen if Chelsea can sign Mbuyamba. Good in the air and technically competent, he has all the potential to become a leading defender in the future.
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