Musonda: Prem clubs wanted me

Chelsea youngster Charly Musonda has claimed he was targeted by Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United before eventually joining Real Betis on loan in January.

The 19-year-old has quickly earned himself a name in the Blues' academy and was part of the 2014 FA Youth Cup and 2015 UEFA Youth League-winning teams.

And, while Chelsea were happy to loan the Belgium Under-21 international out to the Spanish La Liga outfit for the second-half of the 2015/16 campaign, Musonda has now revealed he had attracted plenty of interest from rival Premier League clubs.

"Nobody could know what [Jose] Mourinho had in mind for me," he told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.

"It was simple: many English clubs wanted to buy me. Manchester United, City, Arsenal, but a loan was the only option for Chelsea.

"Only one thing matters to me - playing. Whether I return [to Chelsea] or not.

"There was interest from France, Netherlands. My ex-coach Yannick Ferrera, who I speak to a lot, wanted me at Standard, but I did not want to return to Belgium. And in the end, I joined Betis."