Emegha admired by Chelsea but to stay at Strasbourg
- Published
Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha's form has been noticed across at BlueCo partner club Chelsea, amid reports he could join the club in 2026.
The 22-year-old, who scored 14 goals in 27 league matches, as the Ligue 1 club qualified for Europe for the first time since 2020, is under contract until 2028 and is near certain to stay at Strasbourg next season.
However, aside from an agreement to remain in Alsace for a further season to enjoy their Conference League campaign, there are further discussions about his future.
One option being discussed is Emegha could renew his contract at Strasbourg and then join Chelsea in 2026. However, no promises have been made or pre-agreements been reached to formalise the idea with interest coming in from major clubs in Europe.
The Netherlands Under-21 international is regarded as a leader at Strasbourg and his short injury lay-offs arguably cost Strasbourg qualification to the Champions League or Europa League - as the club lost six of their seven matches without him available.
Emegha's situation is, however, an example of the joined up thinking across Chelsea and Strasbourg, who finished seventh this season to qualify for the Conference League under English manager Liam Rosenior.
Rosenior, like Chelsea manager Maresca, plays an expansive, progressive, possession-based style of football, which is being implemented across both clubs from the women's teams through the academies.
It is a structure designed to allow players to move between clubs in either direction to their mutual benefit - with goalkeeper Djorde Petrovic and Andrey Santos excelling on loan at Strasbourg but now expected to return to Chelsea for the Club World Cup.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are still exploring striker options away from Emegha and have around eight or nine targets on their agenda. Ipswich striker Liam Delap continues to be a major target and is available for his £30m relegation release clause but there are alternatives like Eintracht Frankfurt's Hugo Ekitike, RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko and a host of others on the club's radar.
