Chelsea’s first-team player is reportedly still firmly on the radar of Premier League rivals Newcastle United during this summer transfer window.
There’s currently a division of players at Stamford Bridge. First of all, there’s the main senior squad that is training and working every day with head coach Enzo Maresca. After that, several Chelsea players are training in a separate group while the club tries to sort out their futures; this includes high-profile names such as Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, and Romelu Lukaku.
It’s worth pointing out that some of the stars in Maresca’s main squad are still linked with potential exits.
Newcastle still in for Noni Madueke
Chelsea winger Noni Madueke, 22, is a player who’s been linked with Premier League rivals Newcastle United already in this summer window. According to i earlier this month, Newcastle boss Eddie Howe likes Madueke.
There’s now been fresh speculation this week regarding the Magpies interest in the Blues forward.
Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed via his Substack on Thursday morning that Madueke isn’t definitely staying with Chelsea this season despite training with the club’s main group.
It is explained that sources are hearing more and more this week about Newcastle’s interest in Madueke. Apparently, Chelsea value him at £50m and are in no rush to sell him, but could decide to offload if they receive a decent offer.
Phillips explains that Newcastle would try to negotiate a cheaper price, but sources believe a transfer could yet happen and the subject has gotten hot again. A potential deal may be bubbling up going into the final days of the transfer window.
Should Chelsea keep him?
In terms of Madueke, he finds himself in a very interesting position right now.
The 22-year-old was superb during pre-season this summer, scoring three goals and making a positive impact. On paper, the right-winger is tailor-made for Maresca’s system and all the signs pointed towards a big season for him.
However, he was an unused substitute in the opening fixture of the Premier League season, which raised a few eyebrows with Chelsea supporters.
Of course, Madueke was only overlooked for one game, so this could still be an important year for his development. It’ll be interesting to see if Newcastle do ramp up their interest in the days ahead, though.
Mauricio Pochettino called Madueke “amazing” last season, but it feels like this is the year that the youngster needs to really kick on in Chelsea colours.
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