Chelsea Now ‘Set to Sign’ Rennes Youngster Guela Doue

Chelsea’s summer spending is reportedly set to continue despite their enlarged squad needing trimming down – with reports stating that Rennes starlet Guela Doue is set to join the Blues in a £7.5million deal that would see him join the ever-growing list of talents at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have spent big to say the least since Todd Boehly took over the club ahead of the 2022/23 season, totalling transfer fees of over £1billion with ‘amortisation’, ‘pure profit’ and ‘project’ being the key words to defend their spending despite poor Premier League finishes. Last season’s top-flight campaign saw them finally look to have made progress after a year-and-a-half of poor results and performances, with a sixth-placed finish under Mauricio Pochettino – and with Enzo Maresca at the helm, Blues chiefs will be hoping that they can reach the top four for the first time in three years. And that youthful spending has seen them make a move for Doue, with reports stating that he is ‘arriving’ at the west London outfit ahead of a move.

Chelsea ‘Set to Sign’ Doue

The right-back will be loaned out

The report by Gianluca Di Marzio suggests that Chelsea are shortly set to confirm the signing of Doue from Rennes – with the young right-back set to head out on loan to the Blues’ sister club Strasbourg in the process.

The younger brother of proposed Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain target Desire Doue, Guela won’t quite command the £50.3million fee that his sibling has been quoted at – with a move supposedly totalling at £5.9million, alongside £1.7million in potential extra fees in the form of bonuses and add-ons.

The deal will mark Chelsea’s seventh major signing of the summer if it goes through; Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall has been their marquee signing so far in a deal worth £30million from Leicester City, whilst youngsters Marc Guiu, Caleb Wiley, Renato Veiga and Omari Kellyman have come in for huge fees totalling £43million, and Tosin Adarabioyo has joined from Fulham on a free transfer after his contract expired. Meanwhile, Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen is also on the verge of a move and he could arrive before Doue.

Doue Could Find First-Team Opportunities Tough

The Blues have a plethora of young right-back stars

Chelsea already have captain Reece James and fellow French full-back Malo Gusto who play on the right side of defence, whilst youngster Josh Acheampong has already made his debut in the Premier League towards the end of last season and fellow Cobham graduate Alfie Gilchrist can also play on the right-hand side of defence.

If Doue does come back to Stamford Bridge after his loan to Strasbourg, there will be vast competition for the role and it could well be that Doue is continued to be loaned out before being sold by Chelsea with his value up in the future.

James, barring injuries, is likely to be at Stamford Bridge for the majority of his career and with Gilchrist and Acheampong following his footsteps by coming through the ranks, they could provide backup without needing to make a signing for quite some time in the future.

The Blues have one of the finest young squads in the world, including the likes of Cole Palmer, Levi Colwill, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Noni Madueke – and so it will be up to the Blues’ management to define the best pathways possible for their young stars going forward as they aim to create a future superteam.

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Statistics courtesy of WhoScored. Correct as of 25-07-24.