Chelsea Owners Snatch U17 World Cup Sensation from Manchester Rivals in Transfer Battle—Reports

Chelsea's ownership consortium is believed to have secured the signing of 16-year-old midfielder Mohamed Zongo, beating out Manchester City and Manchester United in the process.

Zongo, an offensive midfielder who celebrated his 16th birthday in November, gained recognition through impressive performances at the recent Under-17 World Cup, contributing two goals and three assists across six matches as Burkina Faso advanced to the quarterfinal stage.

His current team, Sporting Football des Cascades Tenakourou, fielded numerous proposals for the young talent's transfer. City showed strong interest and United were prominently connected to a potential move for Zongo, but Fabrizio Romano identified BlueCo, Chelsea's ownership consortium, as the successful bidders for his services.

Zongo is anticipated to join Chelsea's affiliated club, Ligue 1's Strasbourg, upon reaching 18 years of age in 2027, marking another young addition to the BlueCo initiative.

Strasbourg are currently preparing for the future arrival of promising Brazilian right-back Angelo Candido, who will similarly join in 2027. Chelsea, on the other hand, have secured agreements for winger Geovany Quenda, forward Dastan Satpayev, left-back Denner Evangelista and, most recently, center-back Deinner Ordóñez.

Who Is Mohamed Zongo?

Zongo has been creating buzz in Burkina Faso for multiple years, and his selection for an Under-17 competition at merely 15 years of age demonstrated the considerable anticipation surrounding his potential as a prospect.

A towering, left-footed midfielder with experience operating on the right flank, Zongo possesses a distinctive combination of abilities that have resulted in numerous questionable parallels with established players. Some view him as similar to Ivory Coast icon Yaya Touré, while others have boldly likened Zongo to Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappé for his capacity to glide past opponents.

Those who have tracked Zongo from his early days describe a player whose composure has consistently distinguished him on the field. This quality has enabled him to compete against older age groups, and observers at the Under-17 World Cup were equally impressed by his mental approach as they were with his technical abilities.

"He represents tremendous value for the squad," former Burkina Faso international Adama Guira shared with Africafoot before the tournament. "He provides innovation and excellent game intelligence."

Strasbourg now seem positioned to capitalize on Zongo's clear potential, with a subsequent move to Chelsea potentially in the pipeline.