Chelsea youngster Marcel Lewis could be on his way out of the club amidst a contract standoff, with clubs from Bundesliga and Premier League waiting to pounce.
According to a report from Football Insider, Chelsea are staring at the possibility of losing a promising young talent coming through the ranks as 19-year-old Marcel Lewis could be set for an exit amid a contract stalemate.
Lewis, an attacking midfielder, made the switch to Chelsea’s youth academy from Cambridge United back in 2016. Ever since, the teenager has been a steady rise through the ranks, breaking into the club’s Under-18 setup in 2018, for whom he has 13 goals and assists apiece in 46 games. He was a key part of the team that reached the FA Youth Cup finals last season.
On the back of his impressive performances for the Under-18s, Lewis was handed some opportunities with the reserves, but it is during the 2020/21 campaign that the Englishman has established himself as a regular for the Blues Under-23 outfit. In the ongoing season, Lewis has appeared ten times in all competitions, scoring and assisting four goals apiece.
Having impressed the coaching staff, Lewis has been called up to train with the Chelsea first-team on occasions this season but is yet to make his debut or win a place on the substitutes bench either. The 19-year-old is held in high regard at Cobham but the Blues are now looking at the possibility of losing the talented attacking midfielder.
Lewis is in the final six months of his current contract with the west London giants. Talks over a new deal have been held, but an agreement is yet to be arrived at. With negotiations not progressing as hoped, this has opened the doors for clubs to line up a move for him this month or at the end of the season when his deal runs out, a source has told Football Insider.
Lewis’ situation has led to strong interest from clubs in the Premier League as well as the Bundesliga, as per the report, with teams from Germany now allowed to sign the teenage sensation on a pre-contract agreement, given that he is in the last six months of his contract. It now remains to be seen whether Lewis pens a new deal at Chelsea, or looks for pastures new.
