There is little denying that Todd Boehly has put pressure on himself by taking the roles of both Chelsea chairman and sporting director for the moment. The US-born owner of the Blues has taken the latter on an interim basis and will still be able to call upon Marina Granovskaia for the remainder of the transfer window to aid with the club's transition.
Boehly will spearhead the club's activity, however, and with many behind-the-scenes issues now resolved, the pressure to deliver in the transfer market for Thomas Tuchel will become very evident. The Boehly-Clearlake consortium have only been in charge for just over three weeks but with pre-season only ten days away, forming the German coach's squad will be crucial.
It appears that Boehly may have overcome his first task in facilitating Romelu Lukaku's return to Inter Milan. While it is known Granovskaia was still talking to player's representatives as recently as last week, it appears the LA Dodgers owner was the one hoping to strike a deal with the Serie A side.
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The quality of that deal will only be known in the future, but in the present, it draws a line under a difficult situation and frees up a financial package for the Blues to redistribute for this summer's transfer plans. football.london understands Raheem Sterling is among the club's targets. No offer has been submitted yet, but the Blues interest is known and waters have been tested over a fee, a £45 million deal has been suggested.
The Manchester Evening News report that Sterling has been given time to decide where his future lies. Guardiola's players are expected back in Manchester at the beginning of July, with Sterling expected to state his intentions before the squad travel to the United States for two friendlies (July 20th and 23rd).
There is still a possibility that Sterling stays at City for the final year of his deal, but the England star wants to commit his future somewhere this summer. Two weeks is said to be the deadline that Sterling has provided to resolve his future.
If the 27-year-old is as prime a target as he appears, Lukaku's departure offers a clear spot in the Chelsea squad, and Boehly has a clear timeframe to work within to land the star. How this time period is utilised by Boehly remains to be seen, but Chelsea will need an offer that proves persuasive enough to tempt City. Few clubs are in as strong a financial position as the Premier League champions to rebuff an offer they are not happy with. There are worse things than hanging onto Sterling for another year.
Deals for the likes of Jules Kounde and Jonathan Clauss remain up in the air, around with other reports of Chelsea being involved in conversations. However, now that Boehly has been identified as the man responsible with the transfers, concrete movements must be made to start landing players for the first team.
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