Chelsea are believed to be in the race to sign Lyon attacker Bradley Barcola this summer and a fresh claim could further excite Blues supporters.
Who is Bradley Barcola?
The 20-year-old is currently plying his trade in Ligue 1, standing out as a big young talent at Lyon and catching the eye with his attacking performances since breaking into the first team in 2021.
Barcola already has 19 goal contributions (seven goals and 12 assists) in 46 appearances for the French outfit, despite his age, and he has also netted twice in five caps for France's Under-21s, outlining his international pedigree at youth level.
The right-sided winger is contracted with Lyon until the summer of 2026, but that doesn't mean that he won't depart in the current transfer window, with Chelsea linked with a move for him, as their spending continues. Sunday's 3-1 defeat away to West Ham showed that further reinforcements could be needed and Barcola could be an option to come in and bolster the squad.
What's been said about Barcola?
Speaking to Give Me Sport, transfer expert Dean Jones backed Chelsea to make one more eye-catching attacking signing "soon", name-checking Barcola as one of three options:
"Chelsea’s interest in Bradley Barcola is interesting as this is a player that has been hitting the radar of big Champions League clubs for some time. He’s been causing a stir as he made his first steps into senior football and both AC Milan and Manchester City have had temptations in terms of snapping him up before now.
"He’s right on brand for Chelsea. He hits the spot in terms of talent identification, age profiling and sell-on potential if things don’t work out. It’s different from signing Michael Olise because he doesn’t have that same guarantee of stepping into the Premier League this season and being able to do it but – to be fair – nor do some of their other targets.
"Mohammed Kudus, Rayan Cherki – they are both amazing players but would still come with a certain amount of risk if they land in the Premier League this summer. Chelsea also have Brennan Johnson and Jeremy Doku potentially on their list so whatever happens, whoever it is, it feels like another exciting addition is on the way soon."
It is refreshing to see Chelsea looking to sign highly-rated young talent, rather than simply looking at quick fixes who are past their best before you know it.
It seems to be a very deliberate approach, as the signings of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia show, and Barcola could be a great option out wide this summer.
Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…
With Raheem Sterling turning 29 later this year, and doubts surrounding the impact of both Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke, the Lyon ace could provide competition for them, maturing into a special player over time and hopefully benefiting from working under a keen advocate of youth in Mauricio Pochettino.
At just 20, there is still so much more to come for Barcola, who has been hailed as "simply superb" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, not to mention being part of a "magnificent youth system" at Lyon.