Welcome to the football.london transfer briefing. To help you keep on top of all things Chelsea going on in the market we've got the latest noises coming from social media, journalists and so-called ITKs, rounding up what's what in the world of the Blues.
Man City bid
Manchester City are making huge strides towards signing RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol after agreeing personal terms with the talented centre-back. He had been set to join Chelsea last year and impressed at the World Cup with Croatia.
With a £95million ($120m) release clause becoming active next summer it is now reported that Leipzig are demanding that any deal this year reaches a similar mark. It wasn't until December that City's interest in the player became best known, with Chelsea remaining in the race until that point.
football.london says: Chelsea's biggest issue this season is far from being the centre-back area. Even with the sale of Kalidou Koulibaly and Cesar Azpilicueta, there is no shortage of depth there. Levi Colwill's return is much anticipated and as a left-footed player in the same position, it's easy to see why.
Gvardiol is one of the most exciting players in his position, and rightly so, but for the price it is simply not a piece of business Chelsea need to complete. It is a worry, though, that City will once more be adding such strength to their already imperious squad.
Chelsea can't be worrying about that too much. They have bigger issues to deal with and Gvardiol certainly isn't one of them.
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: Mason Mount twist, Moises Caicedo concern, Man Utd plan
Mount U-turn
The saga of the summer continues to baffle and bewilder. After it was reported that Chelsea had not only rejected Manchester United's third bid for Mason Mount worth around £55million ($69.9m), it has since been said that they are going to walk away from the deal altogether.
It is now being said in some quarters that Mount is set to stay at Chelsea this summer and never truly wanted to leave. Meanwhile, other reports suggest that United will look to Moises Caicedo as an alternative and that they are frustrated with the tactics used by Chelsea during negotiations.
football.london says: This is tiring. There are such contrasting stories surrounding Mount that so much of it has become more a PR move from all three parties than genuine progress. Chelsea will say they have been open to Mount over an offer on the table and welcoming further talks.
Mount and his camp will say that they don't have an offer, or that is a poor one compared to what was there before December and that relations have been damaged beyond breaking point. United just want the player for less than £60million ($76.2m). Finding the truth between the various briefing and PR battles is hard.
What will become clear soon is how much Mount really does want to be a Chelsea player. If he is in for pre-season in July then there's every chance he can be convinced to remain at the club longer under Mauricio Pochettino, if he's not all there then it will be evident quickly and the new head coach won't hesitate in playing his part in clearing the player out.
What is clear is that if Caicedo is the second option behind Mount for a similar role at United, they are the ones without much of a clue.
