Just like Chelsea's eventual signing of Kalidou Koulibaly, which came five years after their initial surge of interest, Thomas Tuchel has now turned his attentions to Milan Skriniar, another long-term target for the club.
Because of the complicated and drawn out process by which Barcelona have somehow moved ahead of the Blues in the tussle to sign Jules Kounde, there is now added desperation in London to complete a set of high-quality incomings, as well as shedding some of their underperforming squad players.
This has created some additional tension in the Blues camp as Thomas Tuchel admitted that a group of his players, football.london believes it could be up to seven, want to leave the club, therefore creating an environment not conducive to ideal match preparation.
READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel must overcome 7-year Chelsea pre-season issue if Blues are to remain in contention
Luckily, Chelsea are keen to offload a set of their own players that are seen to be overpaid and underperforming as an entire squad overhaul takes place. With less than two weeks until an opening day trip to Goodison Park though, plenty is still to be done to repair the damage of a tough pre-season tour.
One way to help bring in players and also ease the burden on the wage bill and wantaway players is to find a happy medium that could be sorted through swap deals. Although notoriously rare in England, and successful ones even rarer, it is a common tool used in American sport and has delivered great success to Boehly at LA Dodgers.
The American is believed to have already tried the trick with Juventus, offering Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic in separate attempts to lure Matthijs De Ligt to Stamford Bridge. Although neither offer came to fruition, and football.london understanding that the German forward remains an option for Juve, Boehly could be about to offer Werner elsewhere.
The 26-year-old has had a poor time in Chelsea blue, scoring just 10 Premier League goals in two seasons and he started only 15 matches last campaign. He has also made his desire for game time, and perceived unhappiness, clear in a strange interview conducted in America.
Werner had scored 78 goals in four seasons prior to joining Chelsea in a stellar spell at RB Leipzig, and the Bundesliga side would be open to him coming back, although the £272,000 per week wages make a cash offer unlikely. Enter Boehly and his trade deal principles.
Chelsea hold current and long-standing interest in at least four Leipzig players, so here's a way that Chelsea could leverage a deal by using their own asset, currently valued by CIES Football Observatory at €50-€70m (£42.5-£59m).
Christopher Nkunku
Probably the least likely on this list. The Frenchman had a brilliant year in Germany last season, scoring 20 goals and assisting 13 as he won the league Player of the Season award. football.london also understands that he was a serious target for Tuchel this summer as an option to bolster his attacking threat.
The 24-year-old has since signed a new contract to put that initial speculation to rest, though he will remain on the radars of all top clubs due to his skill.
Tuchel also already has experience of working with him before. The attacker was at PSG during Tuchel's reign at the club, though he was released at the age of 20, not something that came from Tuchel's own choice.
As possibly the most expensive player on this list as well, Nkunku would cost at least £70m in cash, so if Chelsea could find a way to reduce that with Werner then it would suit them, but given his decision to commit to a longer term in Germany, now contracted until 2026, the Blues might have to wait a bit longer for this deal.
Andre Silva
With the outgoing of Werner, who has played as a striker, winger and inside forward, it does open up the space to bring in another out-and-out no.9. Chelsea's current best fit for the role is Armando Broja and his future is less than settled.
This leaves Kai Havertz, a player with just 12 league goals in two seasons in England so far. It is thought that Andre Silva had been a strong target for Chelsea last summer, before the player chose a move to Leipzig and Chelsea ended up splashing out for Romelu Lukaku instead. The Blues also considered a move for the Portuguese player in January, though he had only moved shortly before.
The 26-year-old couldn't replicate the form that earned him 28 league goals in 2020/21 and attracted the attention of Chelsea, only scoring 11 last term at his new club. With the need for a new striker and someone to fit the bill up front, Chelsea might feel that Silva and Werner are now similarly priced, making this deal a possibility.
However, given Chelsea's desperation for someone to score them 20 goals next season, their interest in Silva may already have passed.
Joska Gvardiol
Moving for like-for-like replacements, Chelsea are still trying their best to bring in at least two more centre-backs, on top of Kalidou Koulibaly, though their failed attempts to secure Jules Kounde have dented that hope. Another player on their list for this summer has been Joska Gvardiol, though.
The Blues are yet to make any breakthrough or progress with the 20-year-old and haven't yet gone as far as entering talks for the player. However, the longer they are left in the cold regarding other options, the more Gvardiol will appeal.
The Croatian has been extensively scouted by the club and although he is still seen as raw, demonstrates great physical and defensive qualities, which could make him a top signing in the long term.
RB Leipzig are under no pressure to sell the player this summer, with Gvardiol happy to stay at the club, and that has seen a large price tag placed on him. Any deal could stretch to over £80m in cash, once again opening the door for Werner's return to help Chelsea reduce the price.
Leipzig are believed to be open to Werner's return, and though a direct money-plus-player might not suffice, smooth negotiations one way or another would allow progress for a second transaction between the two clubs to start. Given Chelsea's immediate desire to offload Werner and their interest in Gvardiol, this could be the most likely to happen.
Mohamed Simakan
One of the more unknown players on the list, 22-year-old centre-back Mohamed Simakan is believed to be another long-term Chelsea target, though the conversations between the club and player have not yet started. He was originally spotted as an option to replace Fikayo Tomori, reports Rob Pratley.
He has also not gone off the radar of the club and could be turned too this summer if other targets don't present themselves as more feasible. Simakan, like Silva, has only played one season at Leipzig but is highly-rated from his time in France for Strasbourg.
Given that he has only recently moved club and is still settling down to life in Germany there is no desire to leave, but his team do need to sell before they can buy, which could open up the chances of using Werner in a deal. As a player that is slightly older and with not as much attention or prestige around him, Simakan could be an easier more to make than Gvardiol, though Chelsea haven't made any attempt as of yet for the player. He has previously been looked at by Tottenham.
Konrad Laimer
Finally, despite not being linked to the player, when it comes to a profile that Chelsea need, just as important as centre-backs is defensive midfielders.
In Konrad Laimer, Leipzig possess one of the best box-to-box players in the league, and Laimer's ability is easily suited to a stricter defensive role as well. His contract is up at the end of next season and although there has been strong interest from Bayern Munich in the 25-year-old, there is still distance between the clubs which could leave room for Chelsea to swoop in, though there is no suggestion that this is about to happen.
With Werner a wantaway and Laimer out of contract it would represent a logical trade hypothetically, but with the added complications of agreeing a swap deal, maybe this one is best left in the rumour mill. The need for a midfielder that can hold down an XI, especially in a four man defence, is something that Tuchel is still desiring, and Laimer could yet be that man.
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