Chelsea have taken Nigerian youngster Hafiz Umar Ibrahim on trial after he spoke with Raheem Sterling on a video call.
The 18-year-old will begin his two-week trial at the club's Cobham-training base after securing a visa and having a chat with current Blues star Sterling. Last week he was on trial at Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt, who are also keen. Currently Ibrahim plays for Ojodu City in Nigeria but the Blues are looking to land talent direct from African academies.
Co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields is involved in the chase for the teenager, who is on the radar of several European clubs after scoring 10 goals in six games at the Viareggio Cup in Italy earlier this year. He scored against Manchester City ’s Under-21s during the youth tournament.
If Ibrahim was to make his mark in west London then he'd likely join Chelsea’s partner club Strasbourg in France, reports the Evening Standard. Co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are looking to build a young team at Strasbourg as they develop their multi-club strategy under the BlueCo umbrella.
The young striker has compared his style to Romelu Lukaku, who has excelled throughout his career, but flopped at Chelsea and remains on their books. He previously told Soccernet Nigeria: “[I like Lukaku] because he fights, he’s strong, he scores, he helps his team, he does everything.”
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Clubs in Spain and Italy are currently tracking the situation as they look to take Ibrahim on trial if he fails to sign a contract at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea's recruitment under their new owners has copped major criticism but unearthing a gem could be a positive step.
Ibrahim also plays in a problem position for Chelsea with Mauricio Pochettino's side finding goals hard to come by - albeit they've slowly improved. They've scored 23 fewer goals than Arsenal, who sit top, with Cole Palmer the only man to hit double figures in the league as their forwards struggle.
The teenager will spend two weeks at the Cobham training groundIt was a similar story last term and, despite making summer additions, they lack a prolific marksman. Christopher Nkunku could prove to be that player but he's been injured whilst Nicolas Jackson continues to be inconsistent in the final third.
Chelsea haven't had a player hit the 20-goal mark in a league season since Diego Costa did so in 2016/17 when the Blues went on to be champions. Last term Kai Havertz topped their scoring charts with seven, underlining their struggles, before his departure to Arsenal.
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