Chelsea hierarchy keen to retain injury-hit 21-year-old attacking ace

Chelsea keen to keep striker Armando Broja at the club beyond next summer

According to the Evening Standard, Armando Broja, who is expected to return for pre-season after recovering from a catastrophic knee injury that kept him sidelined until the end of the season, is not expected to be sold by the Chelsea management in the upcoming campaign.

In a friendly match against Aston Villa in Abu Dhabi in December, Broja ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, which saw his season come to an end. It brought a promising debut season at Stamford Bridge to a premature end.

The youngster, who is already back in light training after a full recovery, may be available for the Blues’ preseason games under their new manager. The Blues academy youngster played in 12 Premier League games but only scored one goal.

Early July will see the start of the preseason for the West Londoners, who will travel to the United States to play Wrexham, Newcastle United, Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Borussia Dortmund.

The Blues will undoubtedly search for a quality striker as their top priority in the summer. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang heading towards the exit door, it is more of a priority rather than a luxury.

Following the 3-1 victory over Bournemouth, the Blues, who are presently 11th in the Premier League, earned their first victory under interim manager Frank Lampard in his second spell. They still have four games left, with Nottingham up next the coming weekend.

Broja is a young who undoubtedly is overflowing with promise. With the right coaching, he might develop into a reliable attacker in the years to come. However, if Chelsea intends to keep him, he might serve as a backup striker for the upcoming campaign before perhaps increasing his stock.

It was unfortunate that he sustained a season-ending injury because he could have accelerated his development with regular game time. Unfortunately, he will now have to wait for next season to make a case.

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Retaining the 21-year-old is the right call and he could prove to be a consistent performer in the years to come. Broja showed while at Southampton that he has what it takes to thrive in the English top flight.