Chelsea are reportedly set to miss out on Manchester City wonderkid Nico O’Reilly as he is expected to sign a new contract at the Etihad Stadium.
The 20-year-old emerged as a shock transfer target for Chelsea during the January window and Enzo Maresca’s side have been tipped to rekindle their interest this summer amid their pursuit of the best young talents in world football.
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However, O’Reilly has established himself as a key player in Pep Guardiola’s preferred starting XI in recent weeks, following Chelsea’s mid-season interest, and he has started in each of Man City’s last four Premier League matches in an unfamiliar left-back position.
The England youth international is naturally a central midfielder, but he has expertly filled in as a left-sided defender of late and Man City are set to reward him with a bumper new contract.
O’Reilly’s existing deal at the Etihad Stadium isn’t due to expire until 2028, but Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that contract extension negotiations are underway and an agreement is expected to be reached soon.
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The 20-year-old is in line to receive a major salary increase as a reward for his form over the past few weeks, and Chelsea are therefore almost guaranteed to miss out on his signature this summer.
The Blues were eager to raid Man City for another academy graduate following the success of Cole Palmer’s move to Stamford Bridge, but their pursuit of O’Reilly is set to end in failure.
Chelsea’s midfield options
Despite missing out on O’Reilly, Chelsea have already finalised the summer arrival of Dario Essugo from Sporting CP, while fellow young midfielder Mathis Amougou joined the club from Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne in January.
In addition, Andrey Santos is due to return from a successful loan spell at Strasbourg in order to feature for the Blues at the 2025 Club World Cup and he is expected to be included in Maresca’s first-team squad for next season.
Furthermore, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia are set to remain at Chelsea for the 2025-26 campaign, despite the latter’s persistent injury problems, while Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall may also stay in west London after a difficult first year.
