Chelsea look to hijack 19-goal Arsenal transfer target, £21 million ‘verbal offer’ has been tabled

There is some thrilling back-and-forth going on in the talks surrounding one man linked to both Arsenal and Chelsea this summer. Elye Wahi of Montpellier is on the radar of the two Premier League clubs, as they both look to bolster their attacking options ahead of the new season.

The Gunners were reported to be interested in the 20-year-old but are prioritising the sale of some current players before revisiting the market. So after the lavish spending on Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice, further links are on ice for now. But they can’t afford to delay for long as a new update has claimed that Chelsea are making moves.

According to Mohamed Toubache-Ter, the Blues have made a ‘verbal offer’ of €25 million (£21.6m) for Wahi. It’s unclear whether this will be enough to convince Montpellier to let their star striker leave this summer, especially with two years left on his current contract. Transfermarkt currently value the goal-getter at €35 million (£30m) and that will only rise if he continues to put in influential performances.

Wahi enjoyed a strong 2022/23 season, notching 19 goals and six assists to naturally finish as the club’s top scorer for the term. The Frenchman is also very versatile and can operate on both wings as well as his preferred position up front.

Mauricio Pochettino recently admitted his side were looking to bring in new personnel for multiple roles within the team. After the hefty exodus which saw the likes of Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic leave the club — plus their sale of Havertz to Arsenal — Chelsea are looking to flex their muscles and bring in a bundle of new signings.

Arsenal are in a strong position but will want to revisit their Premier League title battle with Manchester City when the new season starts.