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 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.
Chelsea have sent Wesley Fofana to USA for a medical ahead of his £75m transfer from Leicester City.
The 21-year-old centre-half has been one of Thomas Tuchel’s biggest priorities during this summer window as he seeks to replace the departed Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who moved to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively at the end of last season. And finally, with just three days to go before the deadline, Chelsea have satisfied Leicester’s demands.
According to The Athletic, new owner Todd Boehly was insistent the defender underwent a strigent medical examination in the US before sealing the deal, following a serious injury last season. Should Fofana pass the medical, he will joing the club and could be involved in the London derby against West Ham on Sunday.
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. Might a return to London for Aubameyang therefore make sense?
The Gabonese striker left Arsenal after being stripped of the captaincy earlier this year but enjoyed a productive half-season at Barcelona. The arrival of Robert Lewandowski has pushed Aubameyang down the pecking order, though, and Barcelona have reportedly set their price in discussions with Chelsea.
Aubameyang remains the club’s No1 forward target and Chelsea are ‘pushing’ to complete the deal after of the window closing, according to the Guardian, but some reports suggest the club are put off by the huge wages and asking price – Barcelona want around €30m.
Wilfried Zaha
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.
Gallagher has also been mentioned as a makeweight in negotiations with Everton for Anthony Gordon, as has striker Broja. The Independent’s Richard Jolly reports that Gordon has informed his Frank Lampard that he wishes to leave Goodison Park despite having signed a five-year deal at the club in 2020.
However, The Athletic reported on Monday that the huge gap in valuation between Chelsea and Everton – the Toffees want around £60m for Gordon – means Chelsea are looking elsewhere.
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?
Callum Hudson-Odoi appears set to leave the club, with a loan to Bayer Leverkusen close despite plenty of interest from other clubs.
According to Sky Sports, Hudson-Odoi is undergoing a medical on Monday.
Chelsea rejected significant bids from Bayern Munich for Hudson-Odoi when the 21-year-old was a teenager, but he has failed to command a regular first team place under Tuchel and will look to re-energise his career with a season in the Bundesliga.
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. But Trevor Chalobah will stay at Stamford Bridge despite holding talks with a number of European clubs over a possible loan.
