Chelsea close to move for Strasbourg winger Gessime Yassine

Chelsea are closing in on a move for Strasbourg winger Gessime Yassine. Christophe Lollichon, a former goalkeeper coach at the London club, believes the 20-year-old Moroccan is already close to joining Chelsea. The move is still reported as being in progress, and Yassine remains a Strasbourg player.

Yassine’s move from USL Dunkerque to Strasbourg came earlier this year, and his opening spell in Ligue 1 has been promising. Chelsea are reportedly making progress after the winger’s promising start to the season attracted the Premier League club’s attention.

A potential move would follow a route already taken by several Strasbourg players. Chelsea and the French club are both owned by BlueCo, whose multi-club structure has facilitated movement between the two sides. Valentín Barco, Mamadou Sarr and Emmanuel Emegha have all moved from Strasbourg to Chelsea. Yassine could become the latest to benefit from that relationship if the reported transfer goes through.

Lollichon put his view this way: “Today, Gessime Yassine plays for Strasbourg but he is practically at Chelsea.” His comments have added weight to speculation about a move to England. The reported pursuit also fits with Chelsea’s continued investment in young players.