Chelsea interest in Abdul Baba Rahman makes Augsburg proud

Augsburg coach Markus Weinzierl says he is proud of the fact that the club's defender Abdul Baba Rahman is on the verge of a move to Chelsea.

The 21 year old has enjoyed a rapid rise to prominence in the Bundesliga, making the step-up from Greuther Fürth in the second tier following a £1.8m ($2.8m) move to the WWK Arena last summer.

His performances have triggered interest from the Premier League champions, with German magazine Kicker claiming a £17.7m deal taking the player to Stamford Bridge could happen at some point this week. However, reports in The Guardian claim that offer has been rejected, with the club holding out for a fee closer to £21.2m.

Rather than being upset at the possibility of losing a player to Jose Mourinho, coach Weinzierl is taking the prospect of a move as a pat on the back to his coaching staff for the work they've done with the Ghanaian international.

"I would like to continue working with all players, but when you sign someone like Baba from the second division and he's on Chelsea's radar 12 months later, it does make the coaching staff proud," he told Kicker, according to ESPN.

Rahman made 31 appearances in the top division of German football last season, helping Augsburg to an impressive fifth-place finish and a spot in the Europa League.

His arrival at Chelsea would be as a replacement for Felipe Luis, who has already been sold to Atletico Madrid, and the youngster would be competing with Cesar Azpilicueta for a place in the starting line-up.

Weinzierl has already moved to replace the player at Augsburg, having signed Philipp Max from Karlsruher earlier in the summer, although Rahman played all 120 minutes in his side's extra-time victory over SV Elversberg in the DFB Pokal first round on 7 August.