Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Ligue 1 teenager Mathis Amougou from Saint-Etienne this January. However, the Blues are prepared to loan him out to Strasbourg, with the 19-year-old potentially set to struggle for playing time at Stamford Bridge.

The youngster graduated from the Saint-Etienne academy, breaking into the first team properly in 2023. He has since been called up to France’s U17 and U19 squads. This season, Amougou has burst into the limelight remarkably, making 16 Ligue 1 appearances in the central midfield for the French outfit.

There was interest in his services last summer, with clubs like Bayer Leverkusen pushing to sign him for €13 million, according to FootMercato. However, the report from the French outlet has revealed that a move to Chelsea could be in the works this January.

The Blues are prepared to sign him, with plans to loan him back to Strasbourg, who also play in Ligue 1. The French club is owned by the BlueCo consortium, which is led by Chelsea’s owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. The Blues see the 19-year-old as a long-term quality player, but would prefer he continues his progress in France.


Chelsea boss pushes winger to improve, despite goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has pushed winger Noni Madueke to improve ‘immediately’, despite the 22-year-old finding the net against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Blues invited the relegation candidates to Stamford Bridge for their Premier League clash on January 20, securing a 3-1 win.

Despite Madueke scoring his sixth goal in the Premier League this season, Maresca was not particularly happy with other aspects of the winger’s game. In his press conference afterward, the manager said (via SPORTbible):

“He can improve in the last third, but probably after he scored the goal he stopped playing. This has to be one thing that we need to improve immediately. Never happy if you score one or two, always you have to go for more. After he scored the goal he stopped playing a little bit and it’s something that we need to improve.”

The Chelsea manager continued:

“We just try always to help them to improve. After the goal probably he was a little bit tired, but it’s the moment we need to go for more.”

This season, Madueke has scored seven goals and provided four assists in 24 appearances across all competitions. However, the manager has pushed for further improvement from the 22-year-old as the Blues sit in fourth on the Premier League table.