Report: Chelsea already view their 18-year-old as better than potential new summer signing

Reports have claimed that Chelsea are already very hot on one of the youngsters at their club who made just one appearance last season.

Mauricio Pochettino was forced to include a host of academy talent in his matchday squad on a number of occassions last season due to the injury crisis the club were going through.

One of those who benefitted the most was Alfie Gilchrist, who racked up a stack of appearances in the second half of the season.

He now looks set to be on the move on loan, with Leeds United showing great interest in signing him.

Another player who made his debut as part of the injury-ravaged campaign was Josh Acheampong, with him impressing greatly in his cameo off the bench against rivals Tottenham.

Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images

While there has been no talk of a loan or permanent move away from the club up to now, his place for the future did look in jeopardy when talks moved to the Blues signing another young player in his position.

It was reported at one point that they had agreed a deal to sign Pedro Lima, with the intention being for him to begin playing his football at Strasbourg.

Chelsea rate Josh Acheampong ahead of Pedro Lima

However, it was deemed to be hijacked by Wolves, with The Athletic now reporting that he began to assess his options after it became clear to him that Acheampong was higher than him in the pecking order.

Despite the fact that the Blues were left stunned over the developments that transpired with Lima, it has been claimed they have not fully given up on completing the deal.

However, the fact they have a lot of faith in Acheampong will no doubt be promising for supporters who have seen a number of young prospects fall by the wayside.

You only have to watch the current European Championships to see just how good Jamal Musiala is, with him being one of those who departed from Cobham at an early age.