Borussia Dortmund are reportedly lining up a move for Jake Clarke-Salter, who is currently on loan at Vitesse Arnhem from Chelsea
According to a report by The Sun, Borussia Dortmund have set their sights on talented English defender Jake Clarke-Salter, who is currently on loan at Vitesse Arnhem from Chelsea. The 21-year-old is being lined up for a move by the Bundesliga giants, who are looking to secure his services next summer.
Jake Clarke-Salter is the latest in the long line of highly-rated Chelsea academy products who have fallen prey to their infamous loaning system. Like many before him, and many to perhaps follow after him, the player has never quite managed to establish himself within the first-team setup, despite graduating from the academy in the 2015-16 season.
His status is unlikely to improve much under the tutelage of Maurizio Sarri either, despite the uncertain future of Gary Cahill. That is because the likes of Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, Ethan Ampadu and even fellow Chelsea loanee Kurt Zouma are believed to be ahead of him in the pecking order.
Meanwhile, at Vitesse, Clarke-Salter has settled in quickly, featuring in each of the games that they have played this season. And, with no guarantees of a role as a regular at Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund are scouring the possibility of snapping up the 21-year-old next summer.
The Bundesliga outfit already boast a success story in landing and developing an English prospect in Jadon Sancho. Like Clarke-Salter, Sancho lacked first-team opportunities, albeit at Manchester City, and has transformed his career by becoming a key player for Dortmund since joining them in the summer of 2017.
Sancho’s success story could inspire Clarke-Salter to switch allegiances from Chelsea to Dortmund, even though the Bundesliga giants seem well stocked at the heart of the defence. In fact, Sancho’s smooth transition into his role withing Die Schwarzgelben’s first-team setup indicates his compatriot could do the same, provided he manages to impress.
Dortmund though, will have to fend off strong competition in the form of Bayer Leverkusen, Fulham and Burnley to land the Chelsea defender. With almost three years still left on his deal with the Blues, a steep asking price could be on the cards as well.
What appears certain is that Chelsea could find it tough to keep hold of a player who has been impressive and drawn comparisons with a legend like John Terry. It now remains to be seen if Dortmund manage to add another prodigious English talent in the form of the Chelsea defender, or if some other club prevails instead.
