Chelsea Target Liverpool Star in ‘Revenge’ Transfer Bid Amid Arsenal Interest
Chelsea hope to exact revenge on Liverpool by raiding the Reds for an extremely highly-regarded player, though given his father is an Arsenal fan, a move to north London could await, according to a reliable source.
Chelsea have never truly lived down losing Rio Ngumoha to Liverpool. The ultra-talented teenage winger was poached by the Reds back in 2024 and in the aftermath, Chelsea blocked Liverpool’s scouts from attending youth matches at Cobham.
According to the latest from The Daily Mail’s Merseyside correspondent, Lewis Steele, Chelsea hope to complete a ‘revenge signing’ on Liverpool by raiding the Reds’ youth academy.
It’s stated the Blues are circling over 15-year-old winger, Joshua Abe, who is widely regarded as the best winger in his age group across the country right now.
Liverpool are yet to tie Abe down to a scholarship agreement and the inference in the piece is Liverpool could genuinely be vulnerable to losing the gem.
The problems for the Reds don’t end there, with Arsenal also lurking with intent. What’s more, Abe’s father is a Gunners fan and could influence his son’s decision, according to Steele.
Steele wrote: ‘Liverpool are facing a fight to keep one of their most talented youngsters, according to sources, as Arsenal and Chelsea circle for a potential poaching.
‘It can be revealed that several top clubs have kept a keen eye on 15-year-old Joshua Abe, who has been described by one youth football expert as ‘the best of his age group’ across the country.
‘Reds academy graduate Rio Ngumoha came off the bench to score a last-minute winner at Newcastle in August aged just 16, while the so-called ‘Kop Kids’ were hailed in 2024 when Jurgen Klopp won the Carabao Cup with many young stars.
‘Ngumoha, now 17, was famously snatched from Chelsea in 2024 much to the annoyance of the west London club, who banned Liverpool scouts from academy games at their Cobham HQ.
‘Their interest has been described by one insider as a ‘revenge mission’, though nothing is advanced at this stage.
‘No one is anticipating Abe to be the very next cab off the rank after Ngumoha and Trey Nyoni at Liverpool but many in and around the academy believe he is one of the most exciting talents on the club’s books.
‘He is yet to sign scholarship terms with the Reds and Arsenal are keeping tabs on him over a potential move. It is believed that the player’s father is a lifelong fan of the Gunners, which could influence any move.
‘Poaching players at this age is common in youth football and many of Liverpool’s current age-group sides are made up of talents they acquired from other academies.’
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