Chelsea and Arsenal leading race to sign French midfielder: Reports

Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign Darryl Bakola from Marseille. The teenager is in the final 18 months of his contract and has not signed a new deal.

According to a report in Caught Offside, Chelsea have been pushing to sign the midfielder in recent weeks. They are keen on adding the best youngsters to the squad and see Bakola as their next midfield target.

Arsenal are also pushing to lure the Frenchman and see him as one of the brightest players of the future. The Gunners see him fitting into Mikel Arteta's system and are leading the chase alone with their local rivals.

However, the two London clubs are not alone in the chase and have competition from the Premier League and elsewhere. Manchester United and Manchester City are also keeping tabs, while Newcastle United have also been scouting Bakola extensively.

Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus, Bayern Munich, and Borussia Dortmund are also interested, but have yet to make a move. The attacking midfielder has played just 114 minutes in all competitions this season, and is reportedly frustrated with his role at the club.

Marseille are not interested in selling their youngster and have been working on extending his contract at the club until 2030. They are unlikely to entertain a January move, but the report suggests their plans might change if contract talks with the Arsenal target continue to stall.

Chelsea not in the Premier League title race with Arsenal, says Enzo Maresca

Enzo Maresca believes Chelsea are not in the Premier League title race at the moment because they have yet to find consistency. He believes their position in March will determine if they are ready to challenge for the top like Arsenal and said (via GOAL):

"Probably it’s correct in this moment, and it’s the reason why we are not probably in this moment close to the top is that we need to be more consistent against different kinds of teams. And it’s one of the targets for the future, to try to improve how to play games against these kinds of teams, and hopefully we can continue to do the right things against big teams." "If you want to be there at the end of the season, you have to be consistent; otherwise, you struggle. That’s why I consider December, January and February important months, because after that I think you can set the targets in March, and hopefully we will be in a place where we can fight for something more."

Chelsea are currently 10 points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table after 17 matches.

Edited by Sripad