According to reports in the Daily Express, Chelsea and Arsenal are set to go head-to-head for 17-year-old Marseille defender Boubacar Kamara.

The highly-rated centre-half has been nurtured in the clubs academy and last month, the first news of interest from the Stamford Bridge emerged. Now it’s believed there will be a challenge from across the English capital with Arsenal also in pursuit of the player.
 

Kamara has yet to sign a professional contract with the French side but President Jacques-Henri Eyraud wants to tie him down to a new long-term deal. Chelsea are understood to be in pole-position but Arsenal are monitoring developments with interest. The Gunners have a rich history in bringing young players from Marseille to England; Mathieu Flamini and Samir Nasri being the most recent examples.  

Conte however, has stated that he wants to bring some of Europe’s top youngsters to the club to lay the foundations for the future.


Steve Mitchell @barafundler