Sporting Lisbon have reportedly identified Chelsea forward Armando Broja as a potential summer transfer target.
After productive loan spells at Vitesse and Southampton, Broja was given the opportunity to challenge for a first-team spot at Stamford Bridge for 2022-23.
Before the World Cup, the academy graduate was being provided with regular opportunities, making three starts and 15 substitute appearances in all competitions.
However, the 21-year-old's season was brought to a premature end in December when he suffered a serious knee injury during a friendly with Aston Villa.
As it stands, Broja is pushing to be fit for pre-season, it currently unclear whether that remains realistic given the magnitude of his injury.
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With Chelsea ready to appoint a new head coach over the coming weeks, likely to be Mauricio Pochettino, the Albania international will want an opportunity to make an impression, aware that Chelsea's squad numbers will be drastically reduced in the summer.
Nevertheless, despite missing the second half of this campaign, it appears that Broja will have attractive offers in front of him for 2023-24 if he is not required in West London.
According to Bolanarede, Sporting have expressed a desire to sign Broja on a season-long loan deal.
The report claims that Sporting president Frederico Varandas has already travelled to London to hold discussions with his counterparts at Chelsea.
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A number of names are said to have been discussed in the aforementioned talks, but Broja appears to be towards the top of the Portuguese giants' shortlist.
While Sporting reached the Europa League quarter-finals this season, it has been a mixed year for Ruben Amorim's side who have never been in contention for the Primeira Liga title.
With five matches remaining, they sit 13 points adrift of leaders Benfica, while they have scored at least three fewer goals than the top three in the division.
Playmakers Pedro Goncalves and Francisco Trincao have scored 23 of Sporting's 59 goals, with senior central forward Paulinho only contributing five times from his 1119 minutes in the attack.
Darren Plant
