Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma are reportedly leading the race to sign former Chelsea wonderkid Charly Musonda, who will be without a club at the end of the season.
According to Football Insider, Italian giants AS Roma are frontrunners in the chase to sign Chelsea outcast and former attacking prodigy Charly Musonda. The 25-year-old Belgian playmaker will be a free agent in the summer after Chelsea made their stance clear to not renew his contract following a ten-year association.
Musonda joined Chelsea’s youth ranks as a 15-year-old from Belgian outfit Anderlecht back in the summer of 2012. However, the youngster spent most of his time out on development loan spells since arriving at Stamford Bridge. He has racked up only seven senior appearances across all competitions for the Blues, registering a solitary goal and two assists.
Once dubbed as the next big thing coming through the Blues academy and even drawing comparisons to Eden Hazard for his playing style, Musonda had loan spells at Real Betis, Celtic and Vitesse Arnhem, where he suffered a serious cruciate ligament injury in 2019 that really hampered his development and restricted him from reaching his full potential.
Musonda was able to shine brightly at Betis but his following stints with Celtic and Vitesse were nothing short of a disaster. Nonetheless, he fought his way back from his almost career-ending knee injury and has made sporadic appearances for the Blues’ Under-23 team this term. But he is confirmed to be leaving Chelsea when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.
Despite having not played a single minute of senior football for the last two seasons, there is no shortage of suitors to secure the former Belgium Under-21 international’s services. He was the subject of strong interest from Real Betis and Hellas Verona in January.
However, it is Roma who appear to be in pole position to sign him this summer. Former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho is seeking a reunion with the talented attacker in Rome and has been working on securing the Bosman transfer. The Portuguese manager is said to be a big fan of Musonda and believes he has the skillset to make an impression in Italy, just like Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Tammy Abraham.
A versatile attacker who can operate on either flank or as an attacking midfielder, Musonda is a feisty winger with quick feet. While he may not be the same player he once was, he can still be a decent asset. The 25-year-old Belgian showed his desire to compete at the highest level when he volunteered to play for free for Chelsea to prove his abilities.
However, considering the player’s lack of football in recent years, this transfer carries a significant degree of risk, but that may well be balanced out with low wages and no transfer fees involved.
