Maybe They Think He'll Sell Some Shirts

Chelsea still in race to sign Adu

The 16-year-old, who plays for DC United and who made his international debut in January, is a prime target for Europe's top clubs.

BBC Sport understands Chelsea continue to monitor his situation closely and hope to clinch a deal, although a move is not imminent, as has been reported.

Manchester United also want to sign the Ghanaian-born prodigy but Chelsea are hopeful of beating off all opposition.

The big problem for Freddy is he has shown little on the field to date, other than a few tricks and some pretty goals. He hasn't even nailed down a starting spot on his squad in MLS, not exactly a top tier league (sorry, American fans). He appeared for the US national team earlier this month, not because he had earned it, exactly, but because he and Ghana were making noises about his appearing for that country. Until he made an appearance for the US national senior team, he was essentially a free agent.

And who knows? Maybe this is all spin from his agent. Maybe the article in today's WaPo is spin from his agent, too, toward a different goal:

Adu's World Cup Hopes Hinge on Play for United

Freddy Adu has not given up hope of making the U.S. World Cup squad, but after training under Coach Bruce Arena in California for a month, the 16-year-old forward realizes this much: It is imperative to make a robust impression with his club team, D.C. United, before he has any chance of joining the national team in Germany this summer.

Adu's effort began yesterday, when he participated in his first preseason practice of the year at RFK Stadium's training grounds.

"I've just got to work hard and be a regular starter for D.C.," he said. "The month of April [when the MLS season starts] is very important for me because Bruce said he is going to be monitoring my every move and I'm just going to work hard and keep improving and bringing that to D.C. United.

I do not expect to see Freddy in Germany this summer.