Chelsea are reportedly set to try and hijack West Ham’s move to sign ‘promising’ star Stefanos Tzimas in a transfer blow for Graham Potter.
West Ham, who are managed by former Blues boss Potter, have been heavily linked with a move to sign the Greek teenage sensation in January.
Tzimas, 19, currently on loan at German side 1. FC Nürnberg from PAOK, has been described as a ‘promising centre-forward, with physical qualities and strength as well as intelligence, a good technique and an eye for goal’.
That’s according to the PAOK website, while German outlet BILD reports that Chelsea have moved ahead in the race to land Tzimas’s signature.
The update is a massive blow for West Ham head coach Potter, who desperately needs to recruit a new striker amid an injury crisis.
It was previously thought that Nuremberg were going to activate a £15m purchase option for Tzimas before immediately selling him to West Ham for £16.6m to make a quick profit.
But Chelsea’s hijacking is a huge spanner in the works for West Ham and means the east London club may have to go back to the drawing board.
Tzimas has been in fine form this season, producing nine goals across 15 games for 1. FC Nürnberg.
He is the youngest goalscorer in PAOK’s entire history and was named one of the best players born in 2006 worldwide by The Guardian in 2023.
‘A two-footed striker, he is a quick thinker, fast and physically mature,’ they reported. ‘He has been able to play against older opponents for some time now.’
The PAOK website, meanwhile, adds: ‘[Tzimas is] a leading personality on the pitch and at the same time, a down-to-earth individual, he is also an excellent student.’
Tzimas helped PAOK clinch the Greek top-flight title last term and is now aiming to get second-tier 1. FC Nürnberg back into the Bundesliga.
He has been capped five times by Greece U21s to date and is waiting to make his senior international debut.