Chelsea offered second chance to sign striker as €15m deal collapses

Chelsea have been offered a second chance to sign Marseille wonderkid Robinio Vaz following AS Roma director Ricky Massara’s admission that a deal is too difficult to pull off.

The French youngster has become the subject of some rather unexpected transfer speculation in recent weeks. Vaz has been one of the breakout youngsters of the current Ligue 1 season, scoring four goals and providing a pair of assists in 14 appearances.

Despite this, it has been claimed that Marseille are willing to listen to offers for the 18-year-old. Premier League suitors, chiefly Chelsea, have been linked with the teenager since November, but earlier this week, reports emerged out of Italy stating that Roma were the favourites to sign him.

It was claimed that the Giallorossi were on the verge of sealing a €15 million deal with Marseille for Vaz after missing out on Man Utd forward Joshua Zirkzee, who is no longer available in the wake of Ruben Amorim’s sacking.

A meeting was supposedly scheduled for Saturday to sort out the final details of the deal and to get it over the line quickly to avoid a potential hijack. However, this transfer has not materialised.

Roma chief dismisses Vaz claims

Speaking ahead of Roma’s clash with Sassuolo, sporting director Ricky Massara dismissed suggestions that the Giallorossi could sign the young striker, citing “fierce competition” and Marseille’s reluctance to sell him.

“He seems like a great talent, but that’s quite unlikely at the moment,” Massara said. “I don’t think Marseille would want to part with him, and in any case, there would be fierce competition.”

Instead of signing Vaz, Roma are likely to stick with Brighton loanee Evan Ferguson for the time being, according to Massara. Other suitors will therefore be able to make a move for the 18-year-old.

It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will follow up on the interest they showed in Vaz in November or if they have put the matter to bed after his recent slump in form, which has resulted in him being an unused substitute in three of Marseille’s last four games.

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