Chelsea in the race to sign USA star with £86m clause in his contract

Chelsea are in the race to sign Valencia and USA star Yunus Musah

According to 90min (h/t Football.London), Chelsea are in the race with Premier League rivals Liverpool and Arsenal for the signature of Valencia and USMNT midfielder Yunus Musah.

Though Musah has a contract with the Spanish side until the summer of 2026 (Transfermarkt), they are attempting to extend his deal in order to ward off interest from clubs.

One of the reasons for an extension might be the fact that his current deal has a release clause of £86m attached. So, if any club is ready to pay that, Valencia would be powerless to stop him.

Liverpool are interested in the 20-year-old as they aim to bolster their midfield department, while Arsenal are looking to beef up their central midfield after missing out on the signature of Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa.

Chelsea are in a similar situation in terms of needing reinforcements in that area to be fair, with the contracts of two of their senior midfielders – N’Golo Kante and Jorginho expiring at the end of this season and no extension agreed upon yet.

The Blues have been linked with Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, but it is looking highly unlikely that the latter would come to Stamford Bridge.

Musah had an excellent World Cup with the USA before bowing out to the Netherlands in the last-16 stage. He is a dynamic player who is good on the ball, can cover the ground well in midfield and has an eye for a pass to open up the opposition’s defence.

While Chelsea could do with a dynamic presence like him in their midfield, the cost to sign him could be too much, especially because getting Rice would not be cheap either. And we have holes in other positions to fill as well.

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• Chelsea and Arsenal hold key advantage in race to sign Portuguese star Joao Felix
• Inter have decided to sell Dutch international Denzel Dumfries with Chelsea interested

But, who are we to question what and what not is possible for the Blues’ owners financially? If Graham Potter feels Musah is the right player, Todd Boehly might sanction the move irrespective of the cost.