Chelsea are so eager to find a buyer for Armando Broja they have reduced their asking price and will even accept a loan this month, according to reports.
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The 22-year-old has made 13 Premier League appearances this season after returning from a long-term injury and appears to have the trust of manager Mauricio Pochettino.
But, like fellow academy graduate Conor Gallagher, he represents one of Chelsea’s easiest means of balancing the books and adhering to financial fair play rules with any sale counting as 100 per cent pure profit.
There is already plenty of interest in Broja, with the likes of West Ham, Fulham and Wolves all keen to acquire his services.
But any deal this month looked unlikely with Chelsea thought to be holding out for at least £50million for the forward, though The Sun are now reporting that the situation has changed.
Now, the west Londoners are willing to sanction Broja’s sale if they receive a sum in the region of £35m – and will even let him leave on an initial loan.
Chelsea are conscious of other clubs, much like themselves, struggling to stay on the right side of FFP rules and are willing to assist any suitors for Broja by accepting a loan with an obligation to buy in the summer.
That would allow the club to balance their books now and perhaps even reinvest this month.
Chelsea have already done a similar deal last summer when they let Lewis Hall move to Newcastle on loan, even though the two sides were all geared up to compete for a place in the Champions League.
This time they are likely to demand an obligation-to-buy clause as part of the loan, however, with Eddie Howe having intimated that Newcastle might back out of signing Hall permanently – something Chelsea do not want to happen again with Broja.
The £35m price tag feels more in line with a player who, despite his clear potential, has only netted twice this season and is still getting back his sharpness after a major injury last year.
Broja’s potential exit could leave Chelsea light on options in the short term, with Nicolas Jackson currently away at the Africa Cup of Nations and Christopher Nkunku still struggling with injury issues.
Although Pochettino has given Broja plenty of opportunities, he sounded a note of caution after his goal against Preston in the FA Cup: ‘He needs to use this type of game to improve. Not only in his fitness or his capacity for work ethic, he needs to step up and move forward and smile more and be more positive in the way he needs to improve in his game.
‘The potential is amazing, we are talking about a young striker here in England or Europe, with one of the most potential. He needs to push himself, and we are going to try to help, to realise it’s never enough and work really hard.’
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