Chelsea are one of a number of Premier League clubs keeping tabs on Egyptian winger Ibrahim Adel, 90min understands.
The 22-year-old has long been regarded as one of African football's brightest young talents, and backed up that reputation after being named Player of the Tournament at the recent Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations.
Adel, who currently plays for Pyramids in his homeland and has been capped four times by Egypt's senior team, was targeted by Belgian giants Anderlecht earlier this year, but a number of Premier League clubs have also been monitoring his progress.
Indeed, 90min revealed in September last year that fellow countryman Mohamed Salah had advised Liverpool to keep an eye on Adel's development, though any move to England was off the table at the time because of issues obtaining a work permit.
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However, post-Brexit regulations adopted by the FA this summer means that Adel, or any other player, does not need to meet the former points threshold set by the Governing Body Endorsement criteria. Instead, up to two players - who previously would not have qualified for a work permit - can be signed, and in future years up to four players can arrive in one season depending on how many homegrown players a club has used.
Adel's new found eligibility is understood to have piqued the interest of a number of Premier League and Championship clubs, with sources telling 90min that Chelsea and Newcastle are among those to have expressed an interest, alongside Brighton, Brentford, Aston Villa, West Ham, Burnley and Southampton.
Chelsea's interest is believed to emanate from BlueCo - the new parent company that will oversee their multi club structure - and a potential loan deal involving Strasbourg. The Blues have history of signing emerging Egyptian talent having signed Salah from Basel in 2014.
90min understands there's also interest in Adel from France, Spain and Germany, but the Premier League is thought to be the player's preference at this point.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Chelsea among Premier League clubs taking interest in Ibrahim Adel.
