Chelsea close in on highly-rated youngster Brooke Aspin, 17, from Bristol City – with WSL champions to loan her back for next season
- Brooke Aspin helped Bristol City achieve promotion back to the WSL last year
- Mail Sport understands the young defender will be loaned back to the Robins
Chelsea are on the verge of signing highly-rated England defender Brooke Aspin from Bristol City.
Aspin, who has captained England’s U17 side, came through the Robins’ academy and helped the club achieve promotion back to the Women’s Super League last season.
The centre back cannot sign for the Blues until she turns 18 on July 1 but a deal is close and Mail Sport understands the two clubs are working on an agreement that will see Aspin loaned back to Lauren Smith’s side for the 2023-2024 campaign.
The defender missed the start of last season due to a bone infection which later caused sepsis.
Speaking back in September, Aspin said: ‘On August the 22nd I went into hospital with this horrible pain in my groin.
Brooke Aspin came through the Robins’ academy and helped the club achieve promotion
The youngster has attracted interest from big WSL sides and has captained England’s U17 side
Emma Hayes’ all-conquering Chelsea secured a third successive league and FA Cup double
‘Long story cut very short, after many MRI scans, blood tests and X-rays, I found out I had some sort of sepsis, an infection of the bone and pretty much everything else you can imagine.
‘I was finally discharged on September the 13th meaning I spent three weeks and one day in the hospital. I would be lying if I said it wasn’t hard because, yeah, it was probably one of the hardest things I’ve been through, however now being home I finally feel I am one step closer.
‘I’m slowly taking it step by step to get back to where I was. It’s going to be a long road ahead but I’ve got the best people around me and I’m so ready to get back being the player I was.’
Aspin missed six months of football in total but returned to action in March and went on to score in the game that sealed promotion back to the top flight.
The youngster is very highly rated, with one coach describing her as a future England captain. Aspin played nearly every game of the Robins’ 2021-2022 campaign despite being just 16 before coming through a testing second season of senior football.
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