Transfer fee news may bring fresh Chelsea bid for Schalke star

Schalke are no strangers to having some of the world’s best young talents emerging through their ranks, with Manuel Neuer and Mesut Ozil two German stars to have been given their debuts by the club.

Things are no less exciting at Schalke at present, with Leon Goretzka arriving from Bochum last summer and Julian Draxler remaining, despite the heavy interest from Arsenal in the summer.

The one young gun that it was a surprise not to see more involved in the transfer merry-go-round was Max Meyer, who burst onto the scene this season with a Champions League goal against Borussia Dortmund and an impressive performance against Chelsea.

He had previously top-scored at the under-17 European Championship in 2012 when Germany reached the final.

Greater column inches are expected between now and the end of the season though, based on German reports that the 18-year-old has a buy-out clause of just under £25m in his new Schalke contract that was signed in December and runs until 2018.

Chelsea are thought to have already had a £15m bid knocked back, but with money available from the sale of Juan Mata, Meyer may be a chosen replacement.

In terms of his playing style, Meyer is not majorly dissimilar to Mario Gotze in terms of his low centre of gravity, technique and ability to link play with both feet.

At Schalke he is widely utilised in the central role behind the striker, linking play with Draxler and Kevin-Prince Boateng, but his versatility could bring an exciting future at Chelsea alongside Eden Hazard and Oscar behind a lone front man.

Chelsea’s odds are currently 2/1 to win the Premier League this season and 1/1 to lift any major trophy at the end of the 2013/14 campaign.