Chelsea Transfer News: Record Bid Revealed for Real Madrid Target Seung-Woo Lee

Chelsea attempted to make Barcelona youngster Seung-Woo Lee "the highest-paid player of his age in the UK," according to Jose Felix Diaz of Marca.

The South Korean starlet is allegedly "beginning to tear his hair out because of his lack of competitive action" at the Camp Nou, where he has impressed in the Barca youth ranks. Diaz believes Jose Mourinho's Blues were the first to offer him a route away, while others are also interested in the starlet's services:

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Real Madrid, Arsenal and Chelsea are among the sharks circling.

[...]

Indeed, Chelsea were the first club to make an official approach for Lee, but the youngster rejected the offer—which would have made him the highest-paid player of his age in the UK and included a sizeable fee for Barca—out of hand, out of a sense of loyalty.

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Diaz suggests Lee's lack of opportunities could force him to look elsewhere: "Now, however, the situation has changed, as the 17-year-old is growing tired of kicking his heels on the fringes and only being able to feature in friendlies at club level."

He can't represent the Blaugrana's main team until he turns 18 next January after Barca were handed a transfer ban for the illegal signing of minors, including Lee.

Inside Spanish Football recently tweeted an image of the much-admired Lee:

101 Great Goals also posted a relevant Marca front page:

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez is said to have contacted Barca over the player, reported by Marca (h/t Michael Gadd of the MailOnline). Los Blancos are certainly taking more time to secure younger talents these days, highlighted by their decision to sign Martin Odegaard and Lucas Silva during the January transfer window.

Andres Kudacki/Associated Press

It's unlikely the creative Lee would receive greater opportunities at the Bernabeu or Chelsea. Both squads are crammed with attacking talent and possess tremendous strength in depth, meaning he is likely to receive similar treatment at another of Europe's major clubs.

Even so, Diaz's confirmation that Lee signed a "civil contract at Barca, not a sporting one," could give rival sides the advantage.

Lee could sign a professional deal elsewhere and immediately be eligible to challenge for playing time in the senior ranks. As noted by Diaz, Chelsea's alleged offer underlines the quality of an individual who is likely to receive plenty of traction over the next few seasons. His ability is highlighted below:

Barca boss Luis Enrique showed faith in Munir El Haddadi earlier in the season, a player whose reserve performances also gained plenty of recognition. He shot to stardom when stepping into the main team and underlined his quality for the future. Diaz's report suggests Lee wishes to do the same. 

Considering this is currently not possible at Barcelona, it wouldn't be surprising to see the youngster turn elsewhere for attention.