Real Madrid eye Josh Acheampong move in race to beat Liverpool to sign Chelsea starlet

Real Madrid are considering a move for Chelsea’s Josh Acheampong this January, both as a short-term option at right-back and as the future of their backline.

Liverpool, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are also monitoring the 18-year-old, although Chelsea’s insistence has been that they will not sell one of the jewels of their Cobham academy.

Madrid have a long-standing interest in Acheampong but are now re-assessing the timescale of their plans after the injury to Dani Carvajal. That has been compounded by how back-up centre-half Joan Martinez, 17, is also out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.

Although Madrid have strong interest in signing Trent Alexander-Arnold when his contract runs out this summer, there has not been firm movement to ensure they do not aggravate Carvajal.

The club hierarchy has similarly been weighing up the cost of Alexander-Arnold’s huge wage demands over whether they might actually want a more defensive right-back for the balance of their team.

The English international hasn’t yet ruled out staying at Liverpool, either, although there remains a gap between their prospective wage offer and what he would accept.

Acheampong may offer an elegant solution to a few issues. While he would represent a stand-in for Carvajal both when the Spanish international is injured and when he needs rest on returning to fitness, the England youth international also represents exactly the type of young profile that Madrid have been seeking to build their squad around.

Chelsea’s stance is that he is a player crucial to their own future, but Madrid are weighing up whether to test that in January.

A small twist is that the Spanish club moving for Alexander-Arnold could see Liverpool move on Acheampong instead.

The highly-rated defender was promoted from England’s under-19s to the under-20s in the recently-finished international break, appearing in the 2-1 win over Italy and then the 3-0 home victory over the Czech Republic.

All of Liverpool, Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur were watching with Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund monitoring his situation too.

His Chelsea contract runs until summer 2026. Although he has not been used much by the senior team, featuring once under Mauricio Pochettino last season against Tottenham.

The Stamford Bridge hierarchy does not want to lose a player they see as a considerable asset for the future.