Chelsea’s ownership group is understood to have won the race to sign 16-year-old midfielder Mohamed Zongo ahead of Manchester City and Manchester United.
Zongo, an attacking midfielder who only turned 16 in November, rose to prominence with a series of dazzling showings at last month’s Under-17 World Cup, racking up two goals and three assists in six games as Burkina Faso made it as far as the quarterfinals.
His club, Sporting Football des Cascades Tenakourou, received plenty of offers for the teenager’s services. City were among his admirers and United were heavily linked with a move for Zongo, but Fabrizio Romano named BlueCo, Chelsea’s ownership group, as the winners in the race for his signature.
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Zongo is expected to join Chelsea’s sister side, Ligue 1’s Strasbourg, when he turns 18 in 2027, becoming the latest youngster to sign up to the BlueCo project.
Strasbourg are already awaiting the arrival of highly rated Brazilian right back Angelo Candido, who will also join in 2027. Chelsea, meanwhile, have deals lined up for winger Geovany Quenda, striker Dastan Satpayev, left back Denner Evangelista and, most recently, central defender Deinner Ordóñez.
Zongo has been making noise in Burkina Faso for several years now, and the fact he was called up to an Under-17 tournament at just 15 years old spoke volumes of the excitement surrounding him as a talent.
A tall, left-footed midfielder who has experience on the right wing, Zongo brings a unique blend of skills which have led to a whole host of unhelpful comparisons with senior players. Some see him in the mould of Ivory Coast legend Yaya Touré, while others have gone as far as to compare Zongo to Real Madrid’s Kylian Mbappé for his ability to breeze past defenders.
Those who have followed Zongo since his youth speak of a player whose maturity has long stood out on the pitch. That has allowed him to play above his age group and scouts at the Under-17 World Cup were left just as impressed by his mentality as they were with his on-the-ball skills.
“He is a very valuable player for the team,” former Burkina Faso international Adama Guira told Africafoot on the eve of the tournament. “He brings creativity and a good understanding of the game.”
Strasbourg now appear set to benefit from Zongo’s obvious promise, with a future transfer to Chelsea possibly on the cards.
