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Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has reportedly asked Roman Abramovich to sanction a move for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Florian Wirtz. According to El Nacional, the 18-year-old German is high on Chelsea's list and they want to bring him to Stamford Bridge.
The youngster has already made a name for himself at Leverkusen. In 61 appearances, Wirtz has scored 16 goals and has provided 15 assists. He already has seven goals and seven assists in 14 appearances this season.
Wirtz has been compared to Spain and Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta due to his play and impact. He is high on Chelsea's list as well as Real Madrid and Bayern Munich's radar.
His current value is already steep, and is reportedly around £85m. If Chelsea are to get him, they will need to cash in early. That is exactly what Tuchel and Abramovich are reportedly planning to do. It will be interesting to see where Wirtz goes if he does decide to part ways with Bayer Leverkusen.
Chelsea look to maintain the lead in Premier League after the international break
Going into the international break, Chelsea were surprisingly held to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge by Burnley. Even though the Blues lead the Premier League table by three points, they will still be aware of how quickly things can change. Manchester City, West Ham United and Liverpool are right behind their heels.
Adding to that is Chelsea's expanding injury list. Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Mason Mount, Marcos Alonso and Mateo Kovacic are all injured for the Blues.
They also have some key fixtures coming up right after the international break. Chelsea travel to the King Power stadium to face Leicester City in the Premier League in their first game after the break. They will then face Juventus in the Champions League before welcoming Manchester United to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea have the best defense in the Premier League this season. They have conceded just four goals, with only one of them coming from open play.
However, with injuries to key attacking players, Tuchel will be turning to his bench strength. Chelsea will look to get back to winning ways after the break and keep their title charge going.
