While Chelsea have made a promising start to the summer transfer window, BlueCo has been left frustrated to see another major target slip through their hands after being offered more money by a rival.
England U21 star CJ Egan-Riley had been destined to sign for Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg this summer in a deal that might ultimately have taken him to Stamford Bridge due to the strong links between the clubs.
However, the 22-year-old has elected to move instead to Ligue 1 rivals Marseille, with Ben Jacobs reporting that the centre-back has received a better offer from Roberto De Zerbi’s club.
Chelsea potential
Egan-Riley had been one of the outstanding players in the Championship this season, with data analytics firm SciSports of the belief that he would have been good enough to one day break into Chelsea’s first team. No doubt, this was part of the thinking behind his planned stepping-stone move to Strasbourg, which has now broken down.
With Marseille, he should still earn regular first-team football, while at Stade Velodrome, Egan-Riley will join England international stars Mason Greenwood and Angel Gomes, whose move to OM is likely to be confirmed imminently.
Burnley, who were promoted to the Premier League as Championship runners-up, had offered the England U21 star a new deal but announced on Wednesday that he has rejected this.
In a statement, the Clarets said: “We can confirm that CJ Egan-Riley has formally rejected the club’s contract offer and has decided to pursue an opportunity in France. Burnley FC would like to thank CJ for his contribution and wish him well in his future.”
Egan-Riley, who has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €15.7 million, is now destined for Marseille, having backed out of his BlueCo deal.
Football transfer news headlines today
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers’ new app for all of football’s big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
