Chelsea have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of a Manchester City starlet, suggesting that Pep Guardiola learnt from his Cole Palmer error.
Manchester City have rejected Chelsea’s attempt to sign young midfielder Nico O’Reilly.
Why Chelsea could not sign Nico O’Reilly
The 19-year-old is highly rated by City and they were unwilling to let him leave without a buy-back clause, a condition Chelsea were not prepared to accept.
Chelsea attempted to sign Manchester City youngster Nico O’Reilly (Credit: Imago)
O’Reilly is a product of City’s academy and has made six senior appearances this season. He is seen as a potential star of the future and City are keen to keep him at the club.
“I am pretty sure he can help us,” Guardiola said during City’s pre-season tour of the United States.
“He can play with us, even as a holding midfielder when Rodri is not there. We have Kalvin Phillips. I don’t know what is going to happen, but we have Kova (Mateo Kovacic), and we have Nico. I know he can play it.”
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Chelsea were hoping to sign O’Reilly to bolster their midfield, with Romeo Lavia’s constant injury problems increasing the burden on Moises Caicedo to play almost every game.
However, Man City are seemingly not keen to make the same mistake from 2023 when Cole Palmer moved to Stamford Bridge in that year’s summer window.
Pep Guardiola let Cole Palmer leave Manchester City in 2023 (Credit: Imago)
The attacking midfielder has since become a key player for the Blues, scoring 36 times and setting up 17 goals (as of February 3, 2025).
What next for Chelsea?
Enzo Maresca’s men host West Ham on February 3, keen to secure maximum points to return to the coveted top-four spots.
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