Chelsea progressed to the Carabao Cup semi-finals with a thrilling win over Newcastle United in the quarter-finals at Stamford Bridge. But it now seems that things are happening behind the scenes as they are on the verge of signing yet another young player in the form of Senegalese midfielder Pape Daouda Diong.
Chelsea Closing In On Senegalese Midfielder Pape Diong
🚨🔵 EXCL: Chelsea are closing in on deal to sign Senegal U17 midfielder Pape Daouda Diong from AF Darou Salam! Deal almost done.
Pape was pictured at Stamford Bridge yesterday close to Kendry Páez 🇸🇳
Born in 2006, Diong will be able to join in June 2024 when he will turn 18. pic.twitter.com/KWAxzu2vKI
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 20, 2023
Who Is Pape Daouda Diong?
It seems that Chelsea might have had their scouts watching the FIFA U-17 World Cup earlier this year, where Senegal actually put in a pretty admirable effort and even reached the Round of 16, only to lose to France. One of Senegal’s players Pape Diong seems to have especially caught the attention of the Premier League side.
Diong is currently a Senegalese side AF Darou Salam player and has come up through their system before impressing at the World Cup. The teenager won more defensive duels (85.2%) than any other player in the group stages of the 2023 U-17 World Cup and did well in their games against Argentina and Poland too. He is known for not only being defensively sound but also technically gifted in terms of being able to move the ball around, which is perhaps why Chelsea have been impressed by him.
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Chelsea Close To Deal
Fabrizio Romano has reported that the Blues are now closing in on signing the Senegal U-17 midfielder from AF Darou Salam. He adds that the “deal is almost done”, indicating that only a few short things need to be agreed upon for the club to rope in yet another talented youngster.
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However, due to transfer rules, the 17-year-old will only be able to join Chelsea once he turns 18 in June 2024. Romano has also confirmed that Diong was actually present at Stamford Bridge during Chelsea’s win over Newcastle and was even seen beside youngster Kendry Paez, who was signed by the Premier League side earlier this year as well.
Despite not much being known about the Senegalese midfielder, the London heavyweights’ scouts seem convinced by the teenager’s quality and ability to develop at the club.
