Chelsea are the favourites to sign 16-year-old Town striker Connor Wickham, according to a tabloid report this morning. The Premier League leaders, Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool and Aston Villa are all said to have sent scouts to watch yesterday’s 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday during which Wickham was an unused sub.

Wickham is unable to sign a professional contract until he is 17 in March and Chelsea are reported to be willing to offer the Blues £5 million plus further top-ups which could eventually rise to three times that figure should the 6ft 3in frontman progress as hoped.

It would be a surprise if Chelsea were to offer a deal such as that given that Crystal Palace received significantly less when similarly rated youngster John Bostock joined Tottenham in 2008.

Then the sides failed to come to an agreement and a Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC) tribunal, run by the PFA, set a fee of £700,000 plus add-ons rising in steps up to £1.25 million after he makes five, 10, 20, 30 and 40 appearances, another £200,000 on his full international debut and a 15% sell-on.

On Friday, manager Roy Keane said the Blues had not been contacted by any club regarding Wickham and dismissed the recent links with Premier League sides as speculation.

Keane also said he feels Portman Road is the best place for the England U17 international to continue his football education.

Photo: Action Images

swinger added 09:21 - Nov 22 Thats a lot of money, Chelsea would not offer that imo. Keane is right, he is best off staying put for now. Look at Scott Sinclair. The next big thing at Bristol Rovers, snapped up by Chelsea at 16, plays no competitive football for 3 years and doesn't develop. Now where is he?
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I_Like_Pies added 09:30 - Nov 22 He's playing in the Premier League with Wigan. Wickam will go, and i won't blame him for doing so. What is there to stay for? A team crashing out of the Championship, with a bunch of strikers who couldn't hit a barn door, and he still doesn't get a game? Why on earth was Stead brought on yesterday and Wickam left on the bench?
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BranthamBlue added 09:43 - Nov 22 Chelsea would be the worst club to move too, when has a player came through their academy into the first team, Sinclair is an example, Manncienne, and the two Leeds youngsters that went there. Wickham would never be seen or heard from again and a potentialy good career would be distroyed. If he has to go someone like Arsenal or Villa would benefit teams who bring through youngters and play them.

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swinger added 09:45 - Nov 22 Yeah Wigan reserves. 7 league appearences for them this season. He's 20, he was all set to be taking the world by storm by this point when he left Bristol Rovers at 16.
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Wickets added 09:46 - Nov 22 Wickam must stay and must play, in the championship, best for his development and for Town. Players only reach their potential by playing at the higher levels not warming the bench at chelsea.
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raycrawfordswig added 10:26 - Nov 22 More media bo====s
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Paul added 11:09 - Nov 22 If true, quite amusing that they all sent scouts and he didn't even feature!
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bedsitfc added 11:19 - Nov 22 if he goes we will see him again in 3 or 4 years playing for barnet or someone like that on loan
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bluewein added 11:27 - Nov 22 More lazy jorno work. 5 words for you "Freddie Star Ate My Hamster!" Nuff said.
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bluefishx added 11:43 - Nov 22 5 mill.. might be enough to buy back Rhodes.
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JammyDodgerrr added 12:32 - Nov 22 £5m D:
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brittaniaman added 12:39 - Nov 22 That was best move Keano done last night,to keep Wickham on the bench, instead of putting him on display in front of millions watching, plus all the greedy top clubs ready to scoop up all the talent around. Because at the moment we would only get peanuts for him, plus us losing all his talent, So back off big boys while we are aiming for 4th from bottom.!!!!!!!!!!!!

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firmfoundations added 13:35 - Nov 22 He has to stay at least until we get that 20 goal a season player - that means for some time yet!
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tractorboybig added 15:26 - Nov 22 This is press speculation ,but Wickham reads it as well, and to be honest if you were him coming up to your 17th birthday why the hell would you want to sign for this club? I am sure his agent, if he has one, will be touting him about to every premier team and hey presto he,s gone.
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jas0999 added 15:48 - Nov 22 If Wickham decides to leave then it's not Roy's fault! This is just press speculation though!!!
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tractorboybig added 15:53 - Nov 22 jas0999 May be it is roys fault. If we were doing better and a real chance of doing something he may just of hung in????
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jas0999 added 17:19 - Nov 22 Tractorboybig - honestly - if you were a 16 year old playing in the Championship - regardless of position - and the Premiership league leaders offered you an obscence amount of cash - would you honestly decline??????? Point is this, if Wickham decides to leave there is nothing Roy, Evans, You or I can do about it.
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bluesman added 18:13 - Nov 22 We hope its gossip and we hope he stays but if we don't start playing football he's not going to get much of an education at Town is he. What's Roy going to teach him? How to catch up and unders?
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bluesman added 18:16 - Nov 22 We hope its gossip and we hope he stays but if we don't start playing football he's not going to get much of an education at Town is he. What's Roy going to teach him? How to catch up and unders?
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superblues9 added 20:01 - Nov 22 Ilikepies has hit the nail on the head we r going nowhere
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Tractorog added 20:29 - Nov 22 Chelsea poaching youngsters?..... nah!
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pickles110564 added 21:28 - Nov 22 He is good for a sixteen year old but at the moment no better than other first team strikers.
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danknott added 11:32 - Nov 23 NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
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TractorRoyNo1 added 12:29 - Nov 23 It's all gossip, he officially can't sign for anyone until his birthday and he is not ours to sell, we can only get 'compensation' and the more they pay him the less they will pay us (remember Chelsea with Kevin Wilson?) Funny they didn't all come in for Roades, what! in an open market he was sold for 150 - 850k, not possible he was worth 5 million.
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goldenblueboy added 14:23 - Nov 24 can people stop going on about rhodes! he's gone. get over it!
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