Chelsea working on Mike Penders’ signing from Genk
Todd Boehly’s ownership of Chelsea has seen them sign some very promising young players who have the potential to grow into some of the world’s best in their respective positions for relatively cheaper transfer fees.
Only time will tell whether it is a success, but BlueCo, the consortium which owns Chelsea is confident that the approach will pay off. Therefore, they are eyeing a young goalkeeper as part of the squad revamp.
According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Blues are working on signing Genk goalkeeper Mike Penders, who has been likened with former player Thibaut Courtois.
Penders is said to be one of the finest products of Genk’s academy although the Belgian side is open to the prospect of selling the 18-year-old and subsequently holding onto him on a loan.
The 18-year-old is valued at only €1 million on Transfermarkt. However, Genk could seek slightly north of the amount given that Penders’ contract with them runs until June 2028 while his potential is also sky-high. Currently, he is even the Belgian U19 side’s captain.
Penders is two metres tall and therefore, it comes as no surprise that he has been compared with his compatriot, Courtois.
Courtois enjoyed an incredible career at Stamford Bridge and was paramount in the team’s run to the Premier League titles in 2015 and 2017. Since his move to Real Madrid, his career has only gotten better while Chelsea have visibly struggled in replacing him accurately.
Although they spent a record sum for a goalkeeper on Kepa Arrizabagala, only Edouard Mendy showed glimpses of Courtois’ quality for a short while. Unfortunately, he is no longer at the club due to a drastic drop in form and has been sold to Saudi Arabia’s Al Ahli.
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The west Londoners will hope they can get Penders’ transfer across the line and that he can live up to his comparisons with Thibaut Courtois.
