By Wayne Veysey

28th Oct, 2021 | 6:45am

Sources: Chelsea work on signing West Brom sensation Cardoso pre-January

Chelsea are chasing the signature of West Brom sensation Leonardo Cardoso, Football Insider can exclusively reveal.

The European champions have set their sights on the highly rated 16-year-old ahead of the January window.

A Chelsea source has told Football Insider that the club are working on luring Cardoso to Stamford Bridge before he commits to a professional contract with West Brom.

The Portugese midfielder has caught the attention of Chelsea talent spotters as a result of his age-group displays for club as well as two different countries.

Carodoso has represented Portugal and England at youth level and is currently a member of the England Under-16 squad.

At West Brom, he is regarded as a huge talent in their academy and seen as one of the best young players in the country with the potential to be a Premier League regular of the future.

Chelsea are closely monitoring the youngster’s potential with a view to luring him to Stamford Bridge.

For the Baggies, the priority is to secure Cardoso to a professional contract as soon as he turns 17 next May.

The Championship outfit will be wary of the interest of the big spending Premier League giants, who are likely to be joined by other top-flight clubs in the race.

The competition to sign the top young talents in the country is fiercer than ever, with lucrative contracts and other inducements critical to negotiations.

In other news, medical expect issues “six-month” Chelsea star injury prediction after latest development.