Chelsea set to submit bid for £51m star who's top 1% for non-penalty goals

Chelsea set to submit bid for £51m star who’s top 1% for non-penalty goals

Chelsea are back in action in the Premier League this evening as they prepare to host Everton at Stamford Bridge, with the chance to move to within one point of eighth. The Blues still have eight matches left to play as they attempt to fight their way back into the European places, with a spot in the Europa League or the Europa Conference League still to play for.

Mauricio Pochettino’s side could still land a place in Europe for the 2024/25 campaign, and that could help them ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

Being able to offer transfer targets the chance to play European football could avoid a situation where they are rejected by players who have offers from teams in the Champions League or other competitions in Europe.

Chelsea plotting bid for Serie A star

According to SportsMediaSet, via JuventusNews24, Todd Boehly is ‘intent’ on getting serious about a deal to sign Atalanta midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who is currently competing in the Europa League with his current club.

The Blues want to add the Netherlands international to their playing squad for the 2024/25 campaign and are plotting a swoop for the talented ace this summer. It states that Chelsea are preparing an offer of €60m (£51m) to secure his services at the end of the season, with Boehly set to bid for the former AZ Alkmaar star.

Italian giants Juventus are also said to be interested in a deal to sign the Atalanta whiz as they want to bolster their options in the middle of the park. The report does not, however, reveal whether or not the Serie A side are prepared to part ways with the Dutch wizard, or if £51m would be enough to reach an agreement.

Why Chelsea are interested in Teun Koopmeiners

Pochettino and Boehly could be plotting a bid to sign Koopmeiners this summer because he has the quality to score goals on a regular basis from a central midfield position. No central midfielder has scored more than three Premier League goals for Chelsea so far this season, with Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernandez both on three, and Cole Palmer (16) is the only player in any position in double figures.

Teun Koopmeiners vs midfielders (Men’s Big 5 Leagues + European competitions)

Last 365 days (per 90 minutes)

Percentile rank

Non-penalty goals (0.33)

Top 1%

Non-penalty xG (0.17)

Top 7%

Shot-creating actions (4.09)

Top 7%

Progressive carries (2.69)

Top 8%

Expected Assisted Goals (0.21)

Top 7%

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old star ranks within the top 1% of midfielders in the major European leagues for non-penalty goals per 90 over the past year, which speaks to how much of a goalscoring threat he provides from that position.

Koopmeiners has fired in 11 goals – from 5.31 xG – in 25 Serie A starts for Atalanta so far this season, after a return of ten goals from 7.64 xG in 32 league starts for the club last term.

Related

Boehly ready to make first move to sign “incredible” new star for Chelsea

The Blues are looking to strengthen…

This shows that the £51m Chelsea target has hit double figures for goals from midfield in back-to-back league seasons in Italy, which suggests that he has the goal threat that Pochettino’s side is currently lacking in that role.