Chelsea have been "in contact" with the agents of United States international and captain Tyler Adams in recent days to learn more about a potential "relegation clause" in his contract at Leeds United, claims transfers expert Fabrizio Romano.
Is Tyler Adams joining Chelsea?
The Blues have spent a large portion of this summer pursuing their primary transfer target, Brighton & Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo, but with four offers already being rebuffed – the latest being worth £80m – they are continuing to look at other players to bolster their midfield.
According to the Daily Mail, Mauricio Pochettino's side are 'keen' to sign American international Adams from the recently relegated Leeds in the coming weeks and are willing to meet the Yorkshire side's £20m release clause to make it happen.
The publication has reported that the west Londoners want to try and secure the players' services before their opening game of the season against Liverpool on Sunday and that despite the player being of interest to Premier League rivals Aston Villa, the former Bundesliga star would favour a move to Stamford Bridge.
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However, whilst it may look like the Pensioners are looking at this deal as a potential backup should they fail to land Caicedo, transfers expert Fabrizio Romano has clarified that the two transfers are separate and not contingent on one another.
He explained the situation on his YouTube channel, saying:
"Chelsea are also calling agents of other players in that position. For example, they had contact over the weekend with the agents of Tyler Adams to be informed on relegation clause but it's not something linked to Caicedo, it's two separate conversations."
How good is Tyler Adams?
It would be easy for those that haven't watched much of the American international over the last few years to just lump him in with the rest of the Leeds squad as a player simply not good enough for top-flight football, one that was responsible for the downfall of the Yorkshire side, but that would be an unfair assessment of his quality.
In just 24 league appearances for the Peacocks last season, the 24-year-old maintained a passing accuracy of 82.4% – the highest of any regular starter in the squad -, won 1.1 aerial duals a game and averaged a fairly respectable match rating of 6.73, per WhoScored.
His underlying numbers, particularly the defensive ones, are also quite impressive for a player that had to sit at the centre of an incredibly dysfunctional Leeds side, suggesting that were he surrounded with better quality players, he could reach higher levels than he already has.
According to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, the 5 foot 9 "monster" sits in the top 1% for tackles, the top 3% for blocks, and the top 16% for interceptions, all per 90.
One of the tenacious midfielder's best traits cannot be measured or quantified with statistics: his leadership qualities.
Adams was made the captain of the USMNT just before the World Cup last year, and national team coach Greg Berhalter could not be more complimentary of the player's personality, saying:
"He is the general. He is the strategist. He's the guy that goes out there and leads by example. When he talks, people listen."
Ultimately, if Chelsea can get this deal done for as little as is being reported, it seems like a no-brainer and would surely strengthen both their midfield and the general mentality of the side going forward.