Why Lens striker turned down move to Chelsea

Lens striker Elye Wahi in a recent statement admitted he rejected the chance to move to Chelsea in the recent summer transfer window.

The 20-year-old who scored 19 Ligue 1 goals for Montpellier last season attracted a lot of interest from across Europe including Chelsea.

Chelsea were said to have tabled an offer of £21m for Wahi and planned to loan him to sister side Strasbourg.

However, the move failed to materialise, which made the likes of Eintracht Frankfurt and West Ham United join the race.

In the long run, the striker ended up remaining in the Ligue 1 with Lens, who parted with £30m to get a deal done.

Speaking to L’Equipe, Wahi admitted a move to Chelsea was never particularly close as he was not impressed with the role offered to him.

“Chelsea, I didn’t want to go there just for the sake of it,” he confessed. “Frankfurt was hot. More than Chelsea.”