The huge challenge Chelsea face trying to sign 10 G/A Jesse Derry | OneFootball

Chelsea have lost their fair share of young talents from the academy in recent months, with Rio Ngumoha heading to Liverpool and Reiss-Alexander Russell-Denny to Tottenham as the most recent examples.

So perhaps it’s no surprise that the Blues want to striker back. Fresh from reports that they want to sign Middlesbrough academy pair Anton and Bailey Palmer, we also hear from well connected Crystal Palace source Alan Nixon, as reported by CaughtOffside, that the Blues are also chasing Jesse Derry from the South London club.

The 17 year old is a winger able to play on either side, and he’s come up through the ranks with Palace, always as a highly regarded prospect. He’s the son of former QPR defender Shaun Derry, who is a cult hero at Selhurst Park.

However he has not signed a new deal with his boyhood club yet, and a number of big teams like Chelsea are preparing to make him a pitch ahead of a potential switch in the summer. He’s got 9 goals and an assist in 8 starts at U18 level, somehow.

Chelsea face huge challenge signing talented kid which will only get worse

Jesse Derry of Crystal Palace

The Athletic go into detail on the youngster’s potential departure – he has turned down offers of a professional contract and told Palace he wants to go in the summer.

However there’s warning in there for Chelsea too – his reasoning for wanting to leave Selhurst Park is that there is a “perceived lack of pathway” for him there, with “no apparent medium to long term route into the first team setup.”

Well if he feels that way for Palace, just imagine how he feels for Chelsea. Here there are even fewer clear pathways and even more talent to compete with. It sounds to us like he’s prepared to drop down a level for regular minutes – moving up to Chelsea has little sense for him.