Chelsea held talks with Karim Adeyemi but failed in their bid to sign the German youngster in 2018.
The forward exploded onto the scene earlier this month when he scored 20 minutes into his debut for Germany in a 6-0 win against Armenia.
19-year-old Adeyemi currently plays for Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg. He has already scored six goals in just seven appearances in the Austrian Bundesliga so far this season.
Adeyemi is the latest to come through RB Salzburg’s incredible production line, following in the footsteps of Erling Haaland, Patson Daka and Dayot Upamecano in recent years.
How close were Chelsea to signing Adeyemi?
Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are interested in signing Adeyemi as well, but Chelsea came close when the striker was just 16.
According to The Express, before moving to Salzburg in 2018, the youngster almost moved to current European champions Chelsea instead. The report states that Adeyemi was flown to London for talks with Chelsea in 2018. He was only 16 at that time, and was playing for SpVgg Unterhaching, a fourth-tier German club.
However, Adeyemi decided against a move to Stamford Bridge. He would only move to a next club if it meant he would get sufficient game-time. So, the transfer never materialised.
In a recent interview, Adeyemi expressed his desire of playing for a team that regularly competes for the Champions League trophy in the future. “I want to play in a club where I feel comfortable. Of course I dream of a Champions League win. It would be great to play for a club that regularly competes to win the Champions League.
“But that’s not what I have in mind right now. For me it is important that I develop myself further in Salzburg”, Adeyemi told Sport1.
Chelsea signed Romelu Lukaku this summer and have Timo Werner as a back up for that no.9 role. Whether or not Chelsea will reignite their interest in Adeyemi and make a move for the young striker in the future remains to be seen. As of now, there is nothing to indicate anything in that direction.
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