Chelsea and Arsenal are competing for Marseille midfielder Daryk Bakola

Chelsea and Arsenal are fighting over a deal to sign attacking midfielder Daryk Bakola from Olympique Marseille. Santi Aouna.

After a string of unused substitute appearances in 2024, when the youngster found limited opportunities under Roberto De Zerbi, Bakola finally made his senior debut for Marseille during a 5–1 Ligue 1 win against Le Havre AC on 5 January 2025.

He recently became the third youngest player in Marseille’s history to play in the Champions League, behind Jean-Christophe Marquet (17 years and 5 months) and André Ayew (17 years and 10 months), after starting the 2-1 win over Newcastle United at the Stade Vélodrome in November.

Now, according to AounaMarseille want to extend Bakola’s contract and expect a solution after presenting an extension offer for the 18-year-old.

However, should an agreement not be reached, the French club would be open to his departure as early as the January transfer window, according to the report.

As a result Aouna claims that Premier League rivals Chelsea and Arsenal have now expressed an interest in signing the France U20 international in 2026.

While the report does not state whether the Blues or Gunners will make a move in January or wait until the summer, there is belief that the youngster is expected to leave the French club, and the London clubs are now positioning themselves as possible destinations for the Frenchman.

However, the journalist adds that several clubs, including Newcastle, Stuttgart and Borussia Dortmund, will compete with Chelsea and Arsenal for Bakola’s signature should an agreement on his extension reach a stalemate.

Conflict

Chelsea already have a wide range of attacking options within their squad, and additional attackers will be added next season.

The club has completed deals for Emanuel Emegha and Dastan Satpaev for the coming year, while Joao Pedro, Liam Delap, Marc Guiu and academy talent Shumaira Mheuka all remain part of the squad at Stamford Bridge.

Arsenal, on the other hand, have taken a more aggressive approach to strengthening their senior squad. After years of falling short, the Gunners are now aiming for major honours, reducing the likelihood of opportunities for a player like Bakola.

Even with Chelsea’s attacking depth, Bakola, who is valued at £3.4m, can move on Transfer marketcould still be a valuable asset as a potential move to Strasbourg would allow him to develop before potentially returning to Stamford Bridge with more experience.

That’s more interesting The Blues could secure a bargain for the French forward as Marseille are unlikely to demand a high fee for the youngster, who is reluctant to extend his contract.