Boehly prepared to make marquee Chelsea bid to sign £231,000-per-week star
Chelsea are apparently willing to bid for a “spectacular” player this summer as chairman Todd Boehly plots to continue the club’s lavish spending.
Pochettino faces season-defining next few Chelsea games
Reports have suggested manager Mauricio Pochettino’s future at Chelsea could depend on how they perform over their next few matches, especially their crunch EFL Cup final clash with Liverpool at Wembley (Pete O’Rourke).
The Blues, before their much-needed 3-1 win away to Aston Villa in the FA Cup earlier this week, suffered back-to-back humblings with Liverpool and Wolves putting Pochettino’s side to the sword.
This piled pressure on Chelsea’s head coach, who has so far failed to build upon the club’s near-£400 million summer spending spree last year. Boehly and the club’s board have spent over £1 billion in total since Clearlake Capital’s takeover in 2022, but that so far hasn’t translated to consistently excellent on-field performances.
“We are not good enough [today],” said Pochettino after their defeat to Wolves last weekend.
Myself, also. I’m responsible for this situation. What we showed today was not good enough. We didn’t manage the situation properly and of course no one can be safe. I don’t want to come here and say I am the best. We’re all responsible.
“The players need to take responsibility like I take responsibility. At the moment we’re not matching the history of the club. That’s true. We need to accept it, be critical but we cannot give up. We’ll work hard to change. If it’s not working in this way, we need to move on and find a different solution.”
With the summer window just around the corner, it will be interesting to see if Chelsea dip into the market again to try and solve glaring issues. It is believed they want to strengthen the midfield department further as one example, with news emerging on Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong.
Chelsea willing to bid £85 million for De Jong
The Dutchman is apparently attracting Stamford Bridge interest, and it is believed Chelsea are even willing to bid around £85 million to sign him in the summer.
That is according to journalist Luis Miguelsanz, who wrote as much in an article for Sport this week. De Jong, who is rumoured to be on around £231,000 per week, has been at the centre of contract re-negotiations to disperse his salary over more years at Camp Nou.
However, talks are proving very difficult in what is a complicated situation. If Barcelona are forced to sell their star midfielder, then clubs like PSG and Chelsea are apparently waiting in the wings.
Xavi is in no doubt about the player’s quality, though, having called him one of the best midfielders in world football.
“He has been at an extraordinary level for months,” Xavi said.
“He gives us a lot. He breaks lines of pressure, he drives forward. He is one of the best midfielders in the world. He’s spectacular.”