Chelsea continue to be busy in the summer transfer window and the club looks set to keep chasing targets right up to deadline day.
Todd Boehly’s new regime has already backed manager Thomas Tuchel heartily with the confirmation of Wesley Fofana adding to the signings of Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling, while promising youngsters Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Gabriel Slonina have been secured on permanent deals, too.
With a list of leavers including Romelu Lukaku, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner, though, Tuchel is looking to further replenish his squad, targeting a number of familiar Premier League faces in a bid to mount a genuine title challenge.
Josko Gvardiol
Chelsea have made a bid of £77.4m for the RB Leipzig and Croatia defender, according to Fabrizio Romano, as the 20-year-old becomes the latest target in the club’s long-term overhaul of their defence.
According to Romano, Chelsea have proposed a deal that would see the versatile defender remain on loan with RB Leipzig this season before moving to the Premier League this summer, at which point the likes of Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta will be another year older.
Chelsea’s approach has been late and leaves just two days for a deal to be made.
Chelsea have completed the signing of defender Wesley Fofana on a seven-year deal from Leicester set to cost up to £75m.
The 21-year-old French centre back, described as “one of Europe’s most exciting talents” by Chelsea owner Todd Boehly, will move for a guaranteed fee of £70m with Leicester holding out for a further £5m in further add-ons.
According to The Athletic, new owner Boehly was insistent the defender underwent a strigent medical examination in the US before sealing the deal, following a serious injury last season.
“I’m here to win trophies – the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, everything,” Fofana said. “I came here to win and the club is built to win trophies so I’m here to continue that.”
With both Lukaku and Werner out the door, Chelsea find themselves in a peculiar position of lacking true centre-forward options, with Armando Broja unproven at the club and Kai Havertz a different type of forward option. The Blues have therefore been pushing with a move for former Arsenal striker Aubameyang, with the latest talks taking place on Wednesday.
The move has been complicated, however, after Aubameyang was injured while defending his family from intruders during an invasion of his Barcelona home on Sunday. According to ESPN, reports in Spain say Aubameyang suffered a broken jaw during the attack - which could put him out for up to three weeks.
A further obstacle to the deal is the finances of the move. Some reports suggest the club are put off by the huge wages and asking price – Barcelona want around €30m. Spain defender Marcos Alonso - now out of favour at Stamford Bridge and pushing for a move to the Nou Camp - has also been included in the talks.
Chelsea have discussed the idea of signing Wilfried Zaha and Crystal Palace are reportedly willing to let Zaha leave over the next few days, given the winger only has one year left on his current deal and given the team’s progress under manager Patrick Vieira which has seen them diversify their attacking threat through other players in the team like Eberechi Eze.
But they are pushing for a player in return – ideally midfielder Conor Gallagher, who shone on loan at Selhurst Park last season and is keen for more playing minutes with the World Cup looming. Vieira dismissed suggestions Zaha could leave following Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford, saying: “There’s a really nice relationship between this football team and Wilfried Zaha, it’s not going to stop now.”
Chelsea have missed the deadline to sign Anthony Gordon, according to Everton boss Frank Lampard. With just two days to go until the window closes, the clubs remained far apart in their valuation for the forward. Everton wanted around £60m for Gordon with Chelsea submitting two bids for the 21-year-old, the second of which was reportedly around £45m.
Gordon had told Lampard he wanted to leave Goodison Park, despite having signed a five-year deal at the club in 202, but has since buckled down and scored two goals in his last two games - including the opener in the 1-1 draw at Leeds on Monday.
Ronnie Edwards
According to Football Insider, Chelsea have joined the race to sign highly rated Petereborough defender Ronnie Edwards after scouting him in a recent match against Derby County. Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace have already registered their interest in the teenager, with Palace seeing a £4m bid rejected.
Who could leave?
Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi will spend the season on loan at German side Bayer Leverkusen. The 21-year-old was an unused substitute in each of Chelsea’s last three Premier League fixtures and was not set to feature in manager Thomas Tuchel’s plans this season. Chelsea retain the option to recall their academy graduate in January
Another young player who could leave Chelsea before the close of the window is Ethan Ampadu, who could head for Serie A on a loan deal. Billy Gilmour has been linked with a move to Brighton before the deadline. But Trevor Chalobah will stay at Stamford Bridge despite holding talks with a number of European clubs over a possible loan.
