Chelsea set to beat Manchester City to R17 million-rated SA teen
Chelsea set to win race for SA teen Benoni native Camden Schaper formerly of SuperSport United, is set to join Chelsea after being on the radar of a number of Premier League giants. Photo: Camden Schaper on Instagram
Image: Camden Schaper on Instagram
According to reports, Chelsea are in the driving seat to secure the services of 13-year-old South African Camden Schaper, who currently plays for Blackburn Rovers.
The former SuperSport United wonderkid, who is worth a reported £700,000 (R16.9 million), has been on the radar of a few of England’s top clubs after impressing in the blue and white of Blackburn. IOL Sport reported two months ago that Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool were all keeping tabs.
A report in the UK’s Sun newspaper claims City, who already have his younger brother Astin on their books, were close to signing him but lost out to Chelsea.
The young Camden first came to South Africa’s attention when he captained the SuperSport United Under-11 team on a successful tour of Spain in 2021. Following the tour, Portuguese giants Sporting Lisbon kept tabs on the youngster.
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“When he is not training with his teammates… you will find him at home doing drills to improve his skills. Camden’s technical ability surpasses that of most 10-year-olds. His hard work is the reason he is attracting attention from abroad,” his father Jody was quoted by The Citizen back in 2022.
The Benoni native – who recently relocated to England with his family – was close to joining Manchester United in 2020, but the deal couldn’t be completed due to the challenging nature of signing foreign prospects, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.
Camden would become one of a handful of South African young players harbouring hopes of playing in the Premier League.
Currently, goalkeepers Thorsten “Spike” Brits, Samuel Archer, and Elyh Harrison are attached to Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester United respectively. Harrison is highly regarded by Ruben Amorim at United and featured on the bench for the first team a number of times last season.
IOL Sport