West Brom make approach to sign Chelsea ace as contract winds down
West Brom are one of several clubs across the Championship and Europe keen on signing Chelsea youngster Harvey Vale, according to Mark McAdam.
The Sky Sports journalist posted on X (21 January) to report that the Baggies, QPR and Oxford United have all “reached out” to Chelsea to enquire about the 21-year-old midfielder’s availability.
Vale is out of contract at the end of the season with Chelsea unlikely to trigger an extension [Daily Mail, 13 December], and has also attracted interest from Hannover 96, OH Leuven and SC Heerenveen.
McAdam said: “Chelsea midfielder Harvey Vale is attracting interest from a number of Championship clubs as well as sides from Germany and Belgium.
“QPR, Oxford & West Brom have reached out to the blues to enquire about his availability. Heerenveen, Hannover & Leuven also interested.”
Harvey Vale transfer could prove to be coup for West Brom
Chelsea’s youth products populating the Championship and lower leagues is nothing new, given how widespread the reach of Stamford Bridge has been since their transformation in the mid-2000’s.
The quality of those players, however, has been varied – as is the case for any academy – with Albion fans certainly having mixed feelings when it comes to their own resident ex-Blue, John Swift.
Swift’s association with Chelsea ended back in 2016, the same year a 13-year-old Vale moved to Cobham from Fulham, and now 21, the latter is ready to make his own departure for pastures new.
Interest from clubs in Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as several of their Championship counterparts, suggests that Vale – who is eligible for an Irish EU passport – could soon be hot property.
Finding a successor for the likes of Swift will be a key focus for Albion going forward, but getting ahead of the competition to pluck Vale from Chelsea could help to set that succession plan in motion early.
In other West Brom news, one Albion star was slammed on Sky for spurning two “big, big opportunities” against Middlesbrough.
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