Chelsea are reportedly contemplating whether to raid Middlesbrough for two of their hottest prospects.
The Blues are currently enduring their worst spell with Enzo Maresca in charge, slipping down to sixth place in the Premier League table over the weekend.
In the short term, all focus is on a potentially-pivotal fixture against Aston Villa on Saturday evening, but work remains ongoing in the transfer market.
Club officials are expected to go full steam ahead in their search for a new striker to compete with the likes of Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu, Christpher Nkunku the attacker most likely to leave Stamford Bridge.
Nevertheless, it appears that co-owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital remain intent on acquiring some of the best young talent.
Anton and Bailey Palmer - 16
— TheSecretScout (@TheSecretScout_) January 31, 2025
Club - Middlesbrough
Positions - CM
Foot - Right pic.twitter.com/u2POj6aI3V
Palmer twins on Chelsea radar
Chelsea may already have Cole Palmer as their star man but TBR Football claims that Middlesbrough twins Anton Palmer and Bailey Palmer are very much on their radar.
The two midfielders have already been selected on benches for first-team fixtures, with Michael Carrick seemingly keen to show the pair that they are highly-regarded at the Riverside Stadium.
Anton, who is 16 years of age, has racked up 10 appearances in the Under-18 version of Premier League 2 this campaign, providing two assists.
Meanwhile, Bailey has two goals and one assists from his five outings for the same team, while he was also selected on the substitutes' bench for two Championship fixtures in January.
With both players having been named in the most recent England Under-17 squad, it highlights their potential to progress into first-team players at Middlesbrough or elsewhere.
Aston Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be monitoring the situation ahead of possible proposals being presented.
© Imago
Is a switch to Chelsea plausible?
Although Chelsea have shown a commitment to investing in young players, that could be to their detriment given how vast their ranks are with players 20 years of age or below.
Both Anton and Bailey seemingly have a growing number of admirers, and they may wish to remain together at the same club for the foreseeable future.
Furthermore, the siblings could also have aspirations to play in the same first-team together, something which is highly unlikely at Chelsea at the present time.
In the short term at least, remaining at Middlesbrough seems like the logical move, particularly when the first team are struggling under Carrick.
Darren Plant
