Chelsea have joined Manchester City in the pursuit of versatile St Patrick’s Athletic teenage defender Sam Curtis.
The 16-year-old has been the success story of the Saints season, establishing himself as a regular in their bid for European qualification which ultimately came up slightly short.
That hasn’t deterred a queue of suitors scrambling to strike a deal and it seems inevitable he’ll be following fellow Academy graduates Darragh Burns and James Abankwah abroad.
Curtis, who turns 17 next month, can’t officially move to the UK for another year due to Brexit regulations but interested clubs could strike a pre-contract arrangement whereby he remains in the League of Ireland top-flight for the 2023 campaign too.
Manchester City have been long-time admirers of the Navan native and their Premier League rivals Chelsea followed their lead by sending scouts to watch the teen in action last Friday against Sligo Rovers at the Showgrounds.
Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion are also monitoring Curtis who, along with his older brother Ben, signed professional terms with the Saints in January.
The Ireland underage international may decide against waiting for the UK age eligibility to arrive by emulating Abankwah’s move to Europe in January.
Represented by the same Wasserman agency as his former teammate, it’s understood that Udinese – who paid €600,000 for Abankwah – are also in the frame to snare Curtis.
As a 14-year-old, he made history in 2020 by becoming the youngest-ever debutant of Shamrock Rovers when featuring for their First Division team against Athlone Town and he sent shockwaves throughout Tallaght by jumping ship to St Pat’s in July of last year.
Within a month, he smashed another record by appearing for St Pat’s against Waterford at 15 years and 255 days to assume the mantle as their youngest player.