Having already spent more than £50million on teenagers in the summer, Todd Boehly's youth drive at Chelsea looks set to continue as contingency plans are put in place at Stamford Bridge for Graham Potter.
The new manager has arrived with sections of his squad in need of a desperate overhaul, that is despite the £250million spent on players for Thomas Tuchel by Boehly throughout the summer window. Included in the recruitment spree were 18-year-olds Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina alongside 19-year-old Cesare Casadei.
The last two are further away from first-team action with Slonina on-loan at Chicago Fire until the end of MLS season - but he could be back in January to stake an early claim for the No.1 spot under Potter - as Casadei plays with Chelsea's Under-21 side whilst getting accustomed to his new club and country.
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Chukwuemeka has been tipped for first-team appearances soon after being kept as part of the main squad following his £20million arrival from Aston Villa and Potter could give him a serious chance in the busy October month coming up for the Blues.
The ambition shown by Boehly for long-term success, backed up by the appointment of Potter, is so serious that Chelsea could be about to pay £30million for a 17-year-old, according to reports in the Sunday Mirror. It is written that Luke Harris, Fulham's talented midfielder, has been in negotiations with Chelsea over a possible £25million deal with £5million worth of add-ons, less than one month after signing his first professional contract.
The teenager played 45 minutes for Fulham's first team against Crawley in the League Cup but hasn't played another senior game, but has scored four goals in three matches for their U21 side this season and has an impressive 17 goals in 21 Premier League 2 matches.
Harris also scored a hat-trick against Chelsea last season in a run of 13 goals in nine matches, including four goals against Burnley. The uncapped Wales teenager also scored 13 times in 18 matches as a 16-year-old and has been called up for the most recent Nations League matches - he was an unused substitute for the 2-1 defeat to Belgium.
After signing his first professional contract this season Fulham boss Marco Silva said: "He will get games, he will be on the bench, he will have some minutes. We have to be patient with him, and not push pressure around him." His contract runs until 2025 but Chelsea have moved fast to start talks over a transfer that could add him to other promising youngsters Zak Sturge and Omari Hutchinson, who also joined over the summer.
"Now we have to help him grow as a player," Silva added. "He will have his time in the First Team, because he has the quality."
Chelsea already have a name for this type of transfer after securing Derby's promising left-back Dylan Williams last season too. The Fulham scouting system has produced some of the most promising young players in the league with Harvey Elliot and Fabio Carvalho - who cost Liverpool £30m this summer - both impressing under Jurgen Klopp already this season.
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