Chelsea and Barcelona are reportedly among the clubs that are set to wage battle for the services of 19-year-old German international Karim Adeyemi.
According to a report by Spanish outlet Fichajes, the race to sign Karim Adeyemi from Red Bull Salzburg continues to heat up. The 19-year-old German international has already been linked with a gamut of club and as things stand, Chelsea are battling Barcelona, among others in his pursuit.
Karim Adeyemi has made significant progress since joining Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2018. Initially sent to feeder club FC Liefering for around 18 months, the player has made quite an impact since returning to the Red Bull Arena at the turn of the year in 2020. And he seems to have taken his game to the next level at the onset of 2021/22.
In 17 appearances across all competitions, the 19-year-old has garnered a return of 12 goals and two assists while his performances have also helped him break into the German national side, with the youngster even scoring on debut against Armenia. At the same time, Adeyemi has invariably popped up on the radars of several bigwigs of European football, with Chelsea and Barcelona hot on his trails currently.
Barcelona hold a long-standing interest in Adeyemi, having failed to sign him two years ago, when he was yet to make his mark for Salzburg. The interest only seems to have grown stronger since then, and heading into next summer’s transfer window, Adeyemi would be a viable target for the Blaugrana.
That is because Sergio Aguero will only be a short-term solution for Barcelona while neither Luuk de Jong nor Martin Braithwaite appear to have much of a future at Camp Nou. So, it is not hard to see why Barcelona are interested in someone like Adeyemi, although they now face stiff competition from Chelsea in his pursuit.
Chelsea, like Barcelona, have previously failed to sign Adeyemi, with their interest in him stemming back in 2018, right around the time he joined Red Bull Salzburg. The continued interest in the 19-year-old, though, is a tad bit surprising, considering they have a long-term solution in attack in Romelu Lukaku.
That being said, with Timo Werner facing an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, Adeyemi could well end up being a potential option to replace his fellow German international at Chelsea. Meanwhile, Bayern Munich are also in the running for the teenage prodigy and it remains to be seen where he ends up going if and when he leaves Red Bull Salzburg.