Chelsea have reportedly made their first move to secure the services of 20-year-old Turkish midfield sensation Orkun Kokcu this summer.
According to Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu, Chelsea have made the initial attempt to land Orkun Kokcu from Feyenoord in the summer transfer window. The Blues have involved club legend Didier Drogba in the meetings with the 20-year-old Turkish international’s family.
Orkun Kokcu is widely regarded as one of the most promising young midfielders in Europe at present, having grown exponentially since breaking into the Feyenoord first-team setup in 2018. Now a mainstay in midfield for the Dutch outfit, the Turkish midfield sensation is coming off a somewhat frustrating 2020/21 campaign.
While the 20-year-old only missed three games when fit and available, a long-term ankle injury sidelined him for several weeks, meaning he only made 31 appearances across all competitions. Kokcu, though, seems to have done enough to attract some of the biggest clubs in the world, with Chelsea, in particular, showing a lot of interest heading into the summer transfer window.
The Premier League heavyweights are touted to be in the market for a midfielder this summer, which is somewhat surprising as the rumours linked Jorginho with a possible exit have dissipated. However, with Billy Gilmour likely to be loaned out – Newcastle United are interested in a move – Chelsea could do with a midfield addition.
That is because the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ross Barkley and Ethan Ampadu might not be a part of Thomas Tuchel’s plans for the 2021/22 season. The Chelsea boss will then be left with Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho as the central midfield options, which is perhaps why there have been heavy links with Declan Rice.
However, with competition for Rice being quite stiff, Chelsea ought to identify alternatives, which is where Kokcu comes in even though he is not a like-for-like alternative. Nevertheless, it looks like Chelsea have made their first move for the 20-year-old, with club legend Didier Drogba involved in helping the Blues set up a meeting with his family.
What will now be interesting to see is if the west Londoners can step up their efforts to secure the services of Feyenoord’s midfield sensation this summer. For now, Chelsea are certainly keen on signing Kokcu, who has also been linked with the Blues’ London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham.
