Chelsea see Elye Wahi transfer bid rejected as Pochettino also faces loan issue

Chelsea have seen an opening proposal worth in the region of £21.5million including add-ons rejected by Montpellier for France U21 international forward Elye Wahi. The Blues are pressing to close a deal for the highly-rated attacker but if an agreement can be struck with the Ligue 1 outfit, Chelsea plan to send Wahi back on loan to France for the 2023/24 campaign with sister club Strasbourg considered to be the preferred destination of choice.

Wahi is understood to be sceptical about joining Strasbourg on loan but he remains keen on joining Chelsea as negotiations continue between the two clubs.

Chelsea’s opening proposal for the starlet is considered to be well short of Montpellier’s valuation which is closer to £30m meaning they will have to raise their offer to strike an agreement.

Montpellier president Laurent Nicollin said on Wednesday of Chelsea’s verbal bid: “The amount proposed was not up to our expectations.”

Wahi was excused from Montpellier’s squad to face Clermont on Wednesday evening alongside team-mate Stephy Mavididi, who is set to join Leicester in the coming days.

Express Sport can confirm that the Foxes reached an agreement on a £6.5m package with the French side on Wednesday morning for the 25-year-old English forward.

Mavididi is expected to travel to the UK on Wednesday evening with a view to undergoing a medical on Thursday.

Montpellier have also negotiated a 10 per cent sell-on clause that entitles them to a cut of any figure Leicester land from a future sale.

Chelsea’s deal for Wahi is at risk of potential hijack as a number of clubs from around Europe are eyeing the talented frontman, who netted 19 times in Ligue 1 last season.

Eintracht Frankfurt and Atletico Madrid have made their interest in the player known but Tottenham and West Ham are also believed to be monitoring Wahi’s situation from afar.

Borussia Dortmund had shown interest earlier in the transfer window but they are yet to approach Montpellier.

Speaking at the back end of last season, Montpellier boss Michel Der Zakarian made it clear they would struggle to keep Wahi at the club as he outlined his financial expectations for a sale.

“The kid, he’s 20, and full of talent,” De Zakarian told France Bleu. “That costs a lot. For me, [he’s worth a] minimum €25-30m. When you see the TV rights over there, England can buy him. It’s easier for them.

“He needs to run a lot more, always be moving and be in a position to repeat the efforts. He’s a sprinter, he goes really quickly, but sometimes he’s knackered after 45 minutes.

“He needs to work a bit better, that’s training every day. If he wants to play in a big club and play with great players, he needs to work hard.

“He can go very far, at a very, very good level. Scoring goals like he does, you need to put them in the back of the net. What he does is good for his age, but I think he can do even better.”

Mauricio Pochettino is keen to add more quality to his ranks for the upcoming season and would therefore not be against the prospect of keeping Wahi having only made two senior attacking signings this summer in the form of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson.