Chelsea appear to have dodged a bullet by failing to sign Brazilian starlet Gabriel Moscardo after the midfielder revealed that he will miss the next three months due to foot surgery. Moscardo reportedly opted to join Paris Saint-Germain just days ago but will now be absent until April.
Premier League outfit Chelsea had previously been the favourites to sign the 18-year-old in the January transfer window. Liverpool and Arsenal were also credited with an interest in the Brazil U23 international.
Moscardo previously said: “There was a proposal from Chelsea months ago, but I talk a lot with my agent and my parents and they try to give me information.
“They say there is not long until the end of the season, they tell me to dedicate myself and do well, and that at the end of the season, there will be good things.”
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Moscardo has decided to join French champions PSG. And it seems that Chelsea dodged a bullet after the Corinthians player revealed that he will be absent until April. It is unclear if the lay-off will impact his transfer to PSG.
“After recent tests, I need to do this surgery and I will be out of the next three months,” Moscardo said. “I will be back stronger.”
Signing Moscardo would have seen Chelsea acquire an asset who would not have been able to feature until April. They endured a similar scenario with Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia in the summer, with both players only recently returning to fitness.
Tenth-placed Chelsea cannot afford to suffer a repeat of those instances. They need any January signing to have an immediate impact to help Mauricio Pochettino’s side climb the Premier League table.
Despite spending heavily under the co-ownership of Todd Boehly over the last 18 months, Chelsea could be set to make even more signings in January. A striker to ease the scoring burden from the struggling Nicolas Jackson is likely to be a priority.
Pochettino insists that he will have a major influence over the business that Chelsea complete this month.
He said last week: “It’s obvious that the head coach, coach or manager… it’s crazy to think he won’t be involved in any decisions for the future in my area. Of course, we will share with the owners, the sporting directors but I cannot conceive the idea of not being involved.”
