Premier League champions Chelsea are on the brink of announcing the acquisition of talented Austrian striker Thierno Ballo.

The teenager was on the radar of the London club for more than a year but his transfer could not be formalized because of his age.

Reports emanating from the Austrian media revealed that Chelsea have activated the preliminary contract he signed with the club, having clocked 16 years on January 2, 2018.

Ballo represented the youth teams of Linz, LASK and Bayer 04 Leverkusen before his switch to FC Viktoria Köln in the B-junior Bundesliga West one and a half years ago.

Born to a Guinean mother and an Ivorian father, he is eligible to represent the senior national teams of Guinea, Ivory Coast and Austria, but he currently plays for the Europeans at U17 level.

Subject to international clearance, Ballo will represent Chelsea's U18 team in the second half of the season.

Igho Kingsley

Photo Credit : twitter.com/chelseayouth