Chelsea could replace Enzo Fernandez with an exciting up-and-coming talent who has received lavish praise from Lionel Messi and is already being tipped to win the Ballon d'Or.

The Blues failed to bring in a midfielder after selling Enzo Fernandez to Man City on Deadline Day, which has forced new manager Xabi Alonso to experiment with various configurations in the middle of the park.

An engine room of Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo seems to be the way forward for Chelsea, but they need at least one more high-quality midfielder if they want to do more than just challenge for Europe.

According to data analytics firm SciSports, Bayer Leverkusen playmaker Ibrahim Maza could be an interesting option for the Stamford Bridge club, with the Algeria international believed to be a strong fit.

SciSports' Career Advice tool analyses various factors such as development prospects, game time and playstyle to calculate a Club Fit rating, and Chelsea receive a strong score of 78 out of 100 for Maza. So, why is the 20-year-old so highly rated?

Messi, Dembele love Maza

The Berlin-born attacking midfielder has been making a name for himself in Germany over the past two or three years. Maza came through at Hertha BSC, where he enjoyed a breakout season in the 2. Bundesliga in 2024/25.

The youngster was subsequently snapped up by Bayer Leverkusen for €12 million to replace Florian Wirtz. Initially, Maza required some time to find his feet. He seemed a bit lightweight for top-flight football and needed to work on his decision-making.

He finished the season with just shy of 3,000 minutes under his belt, notching five goals and seven assists. Given that it was a tumultuous campaign at Leverkusen, this wasn't a terrible return.

In fact, Maza showed a lot of promise with his creativity, ability to drive with the ball and dribbling. Even when he wasn't putting up numbers, his raw talent was never in doubt. Remarkably, Man City were reportedly ready to sign him after just one season in the Bundesliga.

Sky Germany has claimed that Maza was one of the Cityzens' top midfield targets this summer, but no deal materialised as Leverkusen didn't want to sell. Heading into 2027, the Algerian has emerged on PSG's radar as a possible replacement for the injured Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.

What makes Maza so interesting is his versatility. At Leverkusen, he has the freedom to roam all over the pitch, so he will sometimes pop up out on the wings or in deeper midfield positions.

PSG boss Luis Enrique values this kind of versatility, hence the interest despite the fact that Maza would not be a like-for-like Kvaratskhelia replacement. His ability to play in a more withdrawn midfield role is why SciSports believes that he could be a good option for Chelsea.

Maza would not get into the team instead of Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers, but he could occupy one of the two deeper positions and orchestrate the play from there. Whether he has the physical tools to succeed in the Premier League is a different question and difficult to judge.

What is clear, however, is that Maza is a footballer's footballer - his peers absolutely adore him. PSG superstar Ousmane Dembele commented "next Ballon d'Or InshAllah" under a recent Instagram post, while Lionel Messi also seems to be a big fan.

Maza and Messi faced off at the World Cup this summer, and the wonderkid clearly left a lasting impression, as evidenced by the Argentine legend's decision to put him on his Kopa Trophy ballot this year.

Messi picked Lamine Yamal, Pau Cubarsi and Maza as his top three, with the youngster ultimately finishing ninth while Yamal won the award for the third consecutive year.

Maza took another step forward in his development over the summer and is already on four goals and three assists in fewer than 1,000 minutes this season. Leverkusen want to reward him with a bumper new contract, but it remains to be seen if they can keep hold of him.

While Chelsea are currently not actively involved in the race to sign him - at least as far as we know - SciSports suggests that they would be well advised to rival PSG for his signature.