Chelsea are reportedly leading the race for the signature of Hamburg youngster Jann-Fiete Arp this summer after the starlet has impressed this season.
The 17-year-old has bagged 26 goals in 21 games for the Bundesliga side’s youth teams this year, and is emerging as the star of the tournament at the U17 European Championship this month.
Having already scored two hat-tricks for Germany U17s in the competition, he will look to guide them all the way to glory while also inevitably attracting plenty more interest ahead of the summer transfer window.
According to The Mirror, Hamburg sporting director Jens Todt is determined to agree on new personal terms to extend his stay at the club beyond his current contract which runs until 2018, but they could find it difficult if Chelsea’s interest is concrete.
In order to do that it’s added that Hamburg coach Markus Gisdol is ready to let him train with the first team this summer even though he has yet to move up to the club’s Under-23 side, and so there is a clear plan to fast-track the youngster at the Bundesliga outfit.
It’s claimed that the Blues have been keeping an eye on Arp for over six months, and ultimately it’s difficult to not see the Premier League attraction being too much for him to ignore if an agreement can be reached between the two clubs.
However, there is also the counter-argument that his development might be adversely affected by a move at this stage of his career as he is clearly making progress in Germany. Combined with the threat that he could merely just be signed and added to the substantial list of loanees that Chelsea have out around Europe, it might not be the most sensible decision after all.
Borussia Dortmund are also credited with having an interest, and perhaps with the young squad that they’ve built there, it could be a ‘better’ destination for Arp if he moves on this summer.