‘Has a release clause’: Chelsea could now sign midfielder for just £17m – journalist

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Chelsea or another club could end up signing Schalke’s rising star Assan Ouedraogo for just £17m.

According to journalist Florian Plettenberg, Assan Ouedraogo “has a release clause” of around €20m (£17m), which is set to become active in 2024.

Plettenberg has claimed that Liverpool, Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion are all interested in the midfielder. However, there are other clubs in England who also seem to be keen.

TEAMtalk recently reported that Chelsea and Manchester United have Ouedraogo on their radar as well.

With the 17-year-old having a release clause, you would now expect a fierce transfer battle to ensue.

Assan Ouedraogo’s release clause

You can argue that £17m is a lot of money for a teenager, but the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and United will feel that they are paying for the player’s potential.

And for Premier League clubs such as them, £17m is peanuts. It would thus not be a surprise to see all three of those English giants go after Ouedraogo in the new year.

For Chelsea, if they miss out on him, it probably would not be the end of the world. They have midfielders for the future.

While the club obviously spent big money on Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, the former is still 22, while the latter is one year younger than his team-mate.

There is also Romeo Lavia, who is a teenager himself, and Andrey Santos, who is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest.

If Chelsea do fail to land Ouedraogo for whatever reason, we think they will survive.