The wait goes on for confirmation of Chelsea's first major men's team signing of the Todd Boehly era as Saturday ushered in more reports of how close the Raheem Sterling deal was to completion as the first-team squad flew out to LA for the start of the pre-season tour.
Whilst the continued attempts to sign a new defender went on with Nathan Ake and Matthijs de Ligt updates, Barcelona hope to match Chelsea's £55m offer for Raphinha but an internal struggle could aid the Blues in the coming weeks.
Football.london brings you the latest from Chelsea in the transfer window on Sunday morning.
READ MORE: Chelsea handed Matthijs de Ligt Bayern setback as Todd Boehly given clear transfer obstacle
De Ligt Bayern preference
Football.London understands Chelsea have been in talks for Juventus over the potential signing of defender Matthijs de Ligt over the past week. At first, it seemed the Blues had a clear run to make a deal happen but Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have emerged as suitors in an effort to hijack a deal.
As reported by Rob Pratley on Saturday, De Ligt's agent prefers a move to Germany in reference to the 22-year-old's style arguably suiting the Bundesliga more than the Premier League. However, Chelsea could still do a deal given the Italian club will accept the highest bid and are not looking to sell the defender for a lower fee.
Chelsea's search for new defenders this window has been comprehensive, with personal terms agreed with Nathan Ake from Manchester City, while Jules Kounde, Presnel Kimpembe and Kalidou Koulibaly have also been linked.
Barcelona tug-of-war
As per The Mirror, it appears that there is an internal disagreement over Barcelona's transfer priorities this summer. Although reports out of Spain have suggested Barca have been confident of securing deals for both Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele, there is a harsh financial reality that means only one is likely to be acquired.
Chelsea could be given fresh hope in still signing Raphinha after agreeing a £55m fee with Leeds almost a fortnight ago. Should the La Liga club opt for Dembele, then Todd Boehly will be front of the queue for the Brazillian. Or vice-versa, given that the Blues have been consistently linked with the Dembele, who is currently out of contract.
Kounde growing frustrated
Sevilla defender Jules Kounde is reportedly growing tired of Chelsea's inaction after the Blues appeared all set the sign the French international a few months back given personal terms had been agreed.
However, football.london now understands that despite Kounde being high up on the list of defenders Tuchel would like to sign, the player himself isn't receiving the attention he would like.
Talks for De Ligt and Ake have replaced what once seemed one of the club's settled additions, but now it has seemingly stalled. Read more about the situation here.
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