Real Madrid are ready to test Chelsea’s resolve with a January move for Josh Acheampong, while Liverpool could swoop in if the door is left ajar amid rising tensions between the Reds and Blues, according to reports.
Acheampong, 18, plays at right-back and made his debut at Under-20 level for England during the current international break. The youngster is a homegrown talent in Chelsea’s academy and has already made two senior appearances – one in the Premier League last season and the other in the EFL Cup this season.
According to The Independent, Real Madrid are giving serious consideration to making an approach to sign Acheampong in the upcoming winter window.
Los Blancos reportedly hold long-term interest in the player and in lieu of Dani Carvajal suffering an ACL injury, they’re ready to accelerate their plans.
But should Real Madrid get cold feet, the report added Chelsea also face a threat from much closer to home by way of Liverpool. The Reds are also huge admirers of Acheampong, while Newcastle, Tottenham PSG and Borussia Dortmund have all taken notes.
Understandably, Chelsea’s stance is Acheampong is not for sale given he is viewed as a ‘crucial’ player for the future.
Nonetheless, Chelsea did recently lose one of their brightest academy talents when seeing Rio Ngumoha poached by Liverpool over the summer. That deal, according to a separate report from The Athletic, is causing tensions between the clubs to rise…
Chelsea put block on Liverpool scouts.
Per Athletic reporter James Pearce, Chelsea, Liverpool and to a lesser extent Manchester United have got under each other’s skin of late.
Scouts from both Liverpool and Man Utd have been denied accreditation requests to view academy matches at Cobham by Chelsea. Pearce added Liverpool are likely to reject any accreditation requests they receive from Chelsea scouts moving forwards.
The root of the rising tensions reportedly lays in Liverpool’s capture of Ngumoha over the summer. The 16-year-old was regarded as one of the best Chelsea have produced over recent times, though his talents will be on show at Anfield and not Stamford Bridge in the coming years.
Acheampong could be the next Blues starlet to take flight and news of the right-back being courted by Real Madrid will have Liverpool fans questioning what that means for Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Reds vice-captain is a confirmed transfer target at Real Madrid and is in the final year of his current contract.
The Independent reaffirmed Real Madrid hope to sign Alexander-Arnold, though it’s claimed they are starting to have doubts about the balance of their starting eleven.
Real Madrid are already a top-heavy side when Vinicius Jr, Kylian Mbappe and Rodrygo all start. Per the report, Real Madrid ‘might actually want a more defensive right-back for the balance of their team.’
While the defensive elements of Alexander-Arnold’s game have improved since Arne Slot took charge, it’s still his offensive capabilities that make him the player he is.
Another factor to consider is Alexander-Arnold’s high wage demands which the report concluded Real Madrid won’t be all that willing to match.
Liverpool seal January signing? / Barcelona’s double Chelsea raid
In other news, reports in Spain claim Liverpool’s first January signing will be Sevilla centre-back Loic Bade. A deal worth roughly €25m is reportedly surging towards completion.
Elsewhere, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick is reportedly at loggerheads with club officials over a double swoop for Chelsea pair Carney Chukwuemeka and Romeo Lavia.
Barca chiefs believe a great value deal can be struck for Chukwuemeka in particular. Flick, meanwhile, would prefer to put his faith in the rising young stars in the club’s La Masia academy.
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Finally, TEAMtalk has been told that not only are Liverpool ‘confident’ that Alexander-Arnold will pen fresh terms, but they’re just as bullish over tying captain Virgil van Dijk down to a new agreement too.
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