West Ham are leading the race to sign Chelsea striker Armando Broja for £30 million ($37m), but they are set to face competition for an in-demand youngster before any deal can be brought to a close.
The likes of Napoli, Atalanta and Everton are also keen on the talented 20-year-old, who wants a promise of a regular first-team football at any club he represents in 2022-23.
AC Milan, Inter and Newcastle have all also shown interest in Broja, but they are not readying imminent approaches for a frontman that impressed while on loan at Southampton last season.
Will Chelsea sell Broja?
Chelsea's preference is to wait and discuss Broja's future in pre-season, with Thomas Tuchel keen to take a look at the striker.
There are, however, no assurances from the coaching staff or club that Broja will be given an opportunity to prove his worth.
The Cobham academy graduate is only being offered the chance to fight for a spot across friendly dates that will see the Blues travel to the United States.
There are also concerns that while Romelu Lukaku is on the verge of a securing a loan return to Inter, Chelsea may look to bring in attacking reinforcements this summer - with Manchester City star Raheem Sterling among those being targeted.
A combination of those factors have left Broja debating whether his future could lie away from Stamford Bridge, but he is under contract until 2026 and his parent club continue to hold a strong hand in any negotiations.
Is Broja good enough for Chelsea?
Few strikers in English football have played as many games as Broja in the last few seasons.
In 2021-22, while at Southampton, he took in 38 outings across all competitions - registering nine goals and one assist.
That goal involvements tally is not huge but, after only turning 20 during the last campaign, he was the youngest striker to be starting regularly in the English top-flight.
Those exploits came on the back of a season at Vitesse in 2020-21 where Broja became the top teenage marksman in Europe with 11 goals and three assists through 34 games.
On top of that, he has become increasingly important for the Albania national team and has racked up 14 appearances for them to date.
Even with a solid grounding behind him, Chelsea are one of the most powerful clubs in Europe and Broja faces fierce competition for places from top internationals.
Many in a west London attacking unit - including Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner- were left frustrated last season due to a perceived lack of minutes.
That goes to show how difficult it is to become a regular starter at Chelsea, with Broja now having to mull over his options.
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