Chelsea are reportedly preparing to make a bid to sign Peterborough United defender Ronnie Edwards, a target for Tottenham and Crystal Palace.
Chelsea are readying an offer for promising Peterborough United defender Ronnie Edwards. That is according to a report from Football Insider, which claims that the Blues are looking to beat Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace to the signature of the highly-rated 19-year-old English centre-back.
Chelsea’s new owners have spent heavily on replenishing their youth ranks this summer. The west London club have been able to recruit top talents from all across the world as they look to beef up their Under-23 squad and build for the future.
Chelsea have already brought in the likes of Eddie Beach, Cesare Casadei, Zak Sturge, Gabriel Slonina, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Omari Hutchinson for the academy teams this summer. And they now have identified another potential target in Peterborough United defender Edwards.
Chelsea are said to have sent scouts to the club’s first two League One games this season, with promising Chelsea goalkeeper Lucas Bergstrom on loan out there. But Edwards is understood to have caught their attention.
The young centre-back is one of the most budding defensive talents in England. The 19-year-old has a full year of professional football experience under his belt, starting over 30 Championship matches for the Posh in the 2021/22 season. But he could not help his side to avoid dropping out of the division. Edwards was also part of the England Under-19 squad that won the European U-19 Championship last month.
The youngster has half the Premier League after him already, while Crystal Palace have had a £4 million bid knocked back for the talented centre-back. Chelsea are the latest club to have held talks and appear to be in with an excellent chance of snapping Edwards up ahead of rivals Tottenham.
Peterborough United’s director of football, Barry Fry, has recently revealed that Chelsea have watched the defender but are yet to submit a bid. Chelsea are now considering an official bid for Edwards this summer.
The 19-year-old is under contract till 2025 after signing an extension last year. Peterborough are said to be holding out for an offer in the region of £10 million for their prized centre-back and remain keen on loaning him straight back as part of any successful deal close to the deadline, as they are not likely to be in a position to find an apt replacement.
With registration rules altered in the wake of Brexit, leading to a focus on domestic talent, more and more Premier League clubs are focusing on local talents. So, it makes a whole lot of sense for Chelsea, Tottenham and Crystal Palace to target Edwards, who has played in all six games for Peterborough this season.
Chelsea youngsters such as Levi Colwill, Ethan Ampadu, and Trevoh Chalobah are all gaining experience at a young age. Edwards could well follow in their footsteps and would hope to come into consideration for the first team in the near future with his performances.
With less than a week remaining before the transfer window closes, the race to sign the centre-back could heat up. And Chelsea will have to beat off significant interest from Tottenham and Crystal Palace.
