Chelsea are keeping a close eye on Theo Walcott’s contract situation with Arsenal and may attempt to sign the forward in the summer if he fails to agree a new deal with the north London club.
Walcott will have just one year left on his Gunners contract at the end of this season and confusion continues to reign over whether he has been offered a new deal or not and if negotiations are currently underway.
The Times reports that Chelsea were interested in Walcott’s services in 2012 when he was again in the midst of a contract impasse before Arsenal eventually caved into his demands.
The motive behind such a move appears to be linked the the Blues needs to increase the number of homegrown players in their squad following the recent departures of Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole.
At current; John Terry, Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas are the only first-team homegrown stars in Jose Mourinho’s squad with the remaining five required by Premier League rules in the Chelsea squad provided by youth stars who barely get a game.
The Times reports that Walcott’s preference is to remain at Arsenal but if he goes into next season without signing a new deal he will listen to outside offers – something which the Gunners are eager to avoid.
Thus you’d suspect his contract situation will definitely be sorted in the summer transfer window whatever the outcome.