Chelsea could be about to respond to their weekend defeat at Leeds United by splashing the cash on three more new additions.
The Blues were brought down to earth on Sunday, losing at Elland Road to surrender their unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign. Goals from Brenden Aaronson, Rodrigo and Jack Harrison lifted the hosts above Thomas Tuchel's men, and could prompt the London side to dip back into the transfer market.
Chelsea have already spent more than £150m since Todd Boehly's takeover, with Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly joined by youngsters Carney Chukwuemeka, Gaga Slonina and Cesare Casadei. However, if reports this week are to be believed, that figure could essentially double by September 1.
One of the moves which appears to have been gathering pace is the deal to bring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang back to the Premier League. The former Arsenal captain only left Arsenal for Barcelona in February, but could well be on the move again.
According to The Sun, Chelsea could land the Gabon international for £25m. Aubameyang played some of the best football of his career under current Blues boss Tuchel when the pair were together at Borussia Dortmund.
He isn't the only forward on their radar, though. Everton have already knocked back a bid for homegrown talent Anthony Gordon, but The Telegraph reports that an offer of £60m has been made for the 21-year-old.
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The third potential deal on the cards is at centre-back, where Chelsea will be without Kalidou Koulibaly for their next league game after he was sent off at Leeds. Wesley Fofana is the primary target after the Blues missed out on the likes of Presnel Kimpembe and Jules Kounde, with a fee for the Leicester City man set at around £70m.
Fofana missed Leicester's weekend defeat against Southampton, with manager Brendan Rodgers saying the youngster was "not in the right frame of mind" to feature. And pundit Graeme Souness has hit out at the defender who joined the Foxes from Saint-Etienne in 2020.
"They’ve not had a good time, they’re sitting bottom of the league and he’s got that kind of thing when really he should be on trying to win the next football match," Souness told talkSPORT (via the Leicester Mercury ). That is modern management, he has to bend over and plead. He’s 21, Fofana, a boy who has done nothing in the game, who may be a top player one day, and he’s having to bend over (saying) ‘please play for me’.
"That’s how mad and out of sync football has become where the tail now wags the dog. Players sign big fat contracts, paid absolute fortunes and they can pick and choose when they want to play."
