Liverpool’s decision to conclude their transfer business early this summer spells good news for Chelsea amid their ongoing interest in winger Ousmane Dembele.
It was thought that Sadio Mane's Anfield departure this summer to Bayern Munich - a deal expected to be confirmed in the coming days - would leave Jurgen Klopp on the lookout for another winger, with Dembele's status as a free agent at the end of the month seemingly a perfect potential replacement for Senegal international.
However, following Liverpool’s recent capture of Benfica forward Darwin Nunez for an initial £64million, reports suggest that their summer spending is very close to being over. The Champions League finalists have agreed a deal with Aberdeen to sign 18-year-old right-back Calvin Ramsey for around £4million, joining Nunez and the club’s only other singing Fabio Carvalho from newly-promoted Fulham.
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That move for Ramsey is expected to conclude Liverpool’s work in terms of new recruits, with the club then only focusing on recouping cash through sales, with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Takumi Minamino and Neco Williams all tipped to follow Mane out the door.
This is all good news for Chelsea, who have also been in the running for Dembele and have been in talks with the player’s entourage over a potential move to Stamford Bridge. The 25-year-old winger is admired by Thomas Tuchel who coached him during their days together at Borussia Dortmund and is said to be making a decision on his future when he returns from his holiday.
"He's a very good player and I am very fortunate to have trained him in my time at Dortmund," Tuchel said on Dembele when asked about the winger earlier in the year. "It was only one year, it should have been longer, but I needed to leave and he decided to leave."
Dembele's potential arrival in west London could be made possible by the departure of Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian international is determined to secure a loan move back to Inter next season and Chelsea seem willing to make it happen as long as the deal suits them financially.
Lukaku is currently said to be earning £350,000-per-week at Chelsea and is aware that he will have to take a wage cut in order to facilitate a return to Serie A, with the Blues still having to pay a proportion of his salary. His exit would still free up a significant amount of money that could be used to offset whatever Dembele's wage demands were.
The Blues are also said to be admirers of RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku and Manchester City duo Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus. City’s recent acquisition of Erling Haaland might pave the way for both Sterling and Jesus to leave, though Chelsea have competition for their signatures from clubs in the Premier League and abroad.
