Chelsea starlet Harvey Vale is attracting heavy interest ahead of January with the wider consensus being the versatile 21-year-old has outgrown the academy scene.
Championship clubs at home as well as teams abroad have began logging their interest in the England youth player who came on as a substitute in the Conference League victory over Astana in Kazakhstan this week.
Mail Sport can reveal Vale is eligible for an Irish passport which sources are citing as particularly attractive among foreign sides as he would therefore avoid taking up a non-European spot.
In Spain, for example, La Liga clubs can name no more than three non-EU players in their match-day squads.
Vale’s Chelsea contract is set to expire at the end of this season and though it is understood the club have the option to extend by an extra year, it is not expected to be triggered.
That leaves a permanent move to a club in England or Europe as the likeliest outcome as the winter window approaches.
Chelsea starlet Harvey Vale is attracting heavy interest ahead of the January transfer window
There is a wider consensus that the versatile 21-year-old has outgrown the academy scene
Vale first broke out of Chelsea’s academy in 2021-22 when, under the current England manager Thomas Tuchel, he appeared five times for the first team.
Loans with Championship Hull and League One Bristol Rovers followed thereafter and this season, he has been captaining Chelsea’s Under 21s while playing in a variety of positions as per his versatility.
Vale’s performances in the Premier League 2, in which he has comfortably looked a level above opponents, won him a call-up to the senior squad for Thursday’s trip to face Astana as he made a long-awaited return to the first team.
Another opportunity could follow in their next Conference League game against Shamrock Rovers, with that European tie at Stamford Bridge now a dead rubber after Chelsea confirmed their place in the round of 16.
