Samuel Chukwueze could become the subject of a bidding war between Liverpool and Chelsea

SUPER Eagles winger Samuel Chukwueze could become the subject of a bidding war between Chelsea and Liverpool over the next few weeks as both English Premier league sides look prepared to trigger the £52m transfer clause in his contract this month.

Chukwueze, 20, is considered one of the hottest in European football at the moment and is often compared with Dutch star Arjen Robben. Currently playing for Spanish la Liga side Villarreal, Chukwueze has a £52m clause in his contract but the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and French side Lyon, are said to all be interested in triggering it during the current transfer window.

With Memphis Depay and Jeff Reine-Adelaide out injured and Moussa Dembele linked with a move to the English Premier League, Lyon are looking to bolster their attack by signing Chukwueze. However, the player who enjoyed a stellar season so far and has scored 5 goals in 18 appearances for the Yellow Submarines, has been on Liverpool’s radar for a while.

Chukwueze was part of the Nigerian squad that won the Under-17 World Cup in 2015 where he won the bronze boot. He has gone on to make 13 appearances for the Super Eagles and has so far scored two goals, leading him to win the Nigerian young player of the year for 2017/18.

Frank Lampard’s overachieving Chelsea side are said to be eyeing up a move for Chukwueze as they are in the market for a flurry of attacking options. He would offer an explosive option on the flanks for Lampard and would come at a considerably lesser price than the rest of the names currently being linked to Stamford Bridge.

Other options like Wilfried Zaha and Jadon Sancho are certain to be far more expensive than Chukwueze. Similar to Chelsea’s Brazilian star Willian in his playing style, Chukwueze would add a further degree of dynamism and youthfulness to the Chelsea attack.

Already, several Chelsea fans are calling on Lampard to purchase the winger, pointing out that he has featured in 18 league fixtures this season and picked up a decent return of three goals and three assists. Chelsea have found themselves struggling for goals and imagination up-front at times this season and signing a player of Chukwueze's calibre would be a quick fix to the problem.