The conclusion to the elongated transfer saga of two wingers involving Barcelona is set to be finalised soon and Chelsea could benefit hugely from it.
As reported by The Mirror, Ousmane Dembele is on the brink of signing a new deal with the La Liga club after his last one expired at the end of June. Head coach Xavi is determined to secure the 25-year-old for next season but faces an internal battle with sporting director Mateu Alemany, who prefers Raphinha, with Barcelona keen to sign the Brazillian ahead of Chelsea this summer.
Alemany was vocal against Dembele back in January when it appeared the forward was certain to leave at the end of his contract, whilst Xavi has been trying everything to ensure Dembele does not end up leaving, which is now a real possibility.
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Given the club's challenging financial state it appears unlikely that they can sign both, which with Chelsea's interest in Raphinha - having agreed a £55m fee with Leeds - and previous links to Dembele with the obvious connection to Thomas Tuchel from their time together at Borussia Dortmund, could mean Chelsea are left with at least one of the two players come the end of the summer transfer window.
Chelsea are close to completing the signing of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City but the expectation that Todd Boehly will try to sign a second wide player is reflected in the persistent confidence in a deal for Raphinha, despite the player's preference for Barcelona.
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