Chelsea has beaten Manchester United and Germany's Red Bull Leipzig to the signing of Ajax's exciting prospect Daishawn Redan, according to reports.
Redan has been a prolific striker in the famous Ajax academy that has produced the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Patrick Kluivert, Johan Cruyff and Luis Suarez.
The 16-year-old had a bright future at the Amsterdam Arena, having been with Ajax since the age of eight, but has chosen to move to Chelsea's academy at the Cobham Training Centre just outside London, according to the Daily Mail.
Despite interest from Manchester United, Manchester City and Leipzig, Redan opted for Stamford Bridge, the home of the 2016-17 Premier League champion.
He is known to be deadly in front of goal, and can play out wide with pace to break into the box. Although still developing, Redan has strength to hold the ball up and is know to link up well with his teammates.
His ability has been recognized by the national team, representing Holland at the under-15, under-16, and under-17 level already, with 21 goals in 29 appearances at all levels for his country.
But many will question why Redan has chosen Chelsea as the place to advance his career. Yes, the club is the Premier League champion. Yes, the first-team wins trophies most years. And, yes, it has won the FA Youth Cup for the last four years. But none of those players have been able to break into Antonio Conte's first-team.
Under Jose Mourinho, from 2013 to 2015, Ruben Loftus-Cheek looked likely to be the first player to make the transition from academy to first team in almost two decades, since John Terry made his debut in 2000. The 21-year-old made 17 appearances in 2015-16 and impressed, but was rarely selected for the bigger games.
When Mourinho was fired and Conte took over at Chelsea, Nathaniel Chalobah looked the most likely candidate to establish himself. He played 15 times last season, featuring against the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City, but mostly from the bench.
Dominic Solanke, the impressive 19-year-old striker who developed through the Chelsea academy, left for Anfield this summer to seek first-team football. Redan will do well to break the mould at Stamford Bridge.
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