Chelsea's transfer window has been far from straightforward. Early preparations were delayed due to sanctions, a new hierarchy has formed following the takeover with Todd Boehly and Thomas Tuchel taking leadership over transfers following the departures of Marina Granovskaia, and Petr Cech and competition has proved difficult.
Deals for Raphinha and Matthijs de Ligt failed as the players found preferred destinations in Barcelona and Bayern Munich, respectively. Nevertheless, the Blues were able to land Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly to prove that Chelsea can still land blockbuster singings, albeit with less competition than they've found with other targets.
The west London side appear to have been punished for their pause in the chase of Jules Kounde, who Chelsea have long since agreed personal terms for, with Barcelona pushing once again to prevent a player from arriving at Stamford Bridge. The Blues had been confident of completing a deal, but no official agreement with Sevilla has been forthcoming, leaving the Catalan giants with an opportunity to pounce.
