Chelsea owner Boehly wanted to sign rival PL star this summer

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly wanted to sign Brendon Aaronson this summer

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly wanted to sign Brendon Aaronson this summer in a deal worth £22 million, according to Simon Philips on Twitter. (h/t Express).

Boehly held talks with Christoph Freund, the sporting director of RB Salzburg for the 21-year-old attacking midfielder. However, no offer arrived for the midfielder from the west London club, with Raheem Sterling being the top target instead.

Aaronson instead opted to reunite with Jesse Marsch at Elland Road and has been a hit there. The Blues did not sign any attacking midfielder, but bought in Carney Chukwuemeka and Denis Zakaria to reinforce their midfield.

Former manager Thomas Tuchel used a 3-4-2-1 formation, where the need for an attacking midfielder was very less. Kai Havertz and Mason Mount, who are attacking midfielders, were usually deployed on the wings with the former being used as a centre-forward on numerous occasions.

The club could do with a player like Aaronson. The 21-year-old can play on the wings too apart from the midfield and has huge potential in him. Blues fans will know what a nuisance he can be as he was one of the scorers in the 3-0 trashing to Chelsea last month.

With Graham Potter at the helm, we might now see a transition to a back four at the club. Havertz was used as a number six behind Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last time out. Having another young attacking midfielder would only help in adding depth and increasing competition in the squad.

The same report also adds that Boehly is planning to target more American stars in a bid to grow the club’s brand in the United States. Christian Pulisic is currently the only American player in the Blues squad. It remains to be seen if this will affect the recruitment process of the club.

More Chelsea News:

• Antonio Rudiger surprised at the timing of Chelsea’s decision to sack Tuchel
• Chelsea target and Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has a release clause valid for next summer
• Borussia Dortmund set an asking price of £131m for Chelsea target Jude Bellingham

Aaronson was not the only Salzburg target that Boehly wanted at his club. Their sporting director, Christoph Freund was also of interest to Chelsea who are currently hunting for one. However, he has confirmed that he will not be leaving his current side.