Chelsea Round-Up: Forward set to leave, Hunt for Brazilian midfielder, Croatian defender on the radar
Serie A giants eager to sign £150,000-a-week Chelsea winger
Christian Pulisic has emerged as a shock candidate for Juventus for the upcoming winter transfer window. The 24-year-old winger has not been able to nail down a permanent spot at Chelsea and might definitely be looking for some respite from his clogged Blues career.
Christian’s rocky relationship with ex-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel had hit rock bottom, and the attacker even recently revealed how the winger was ignored in the second leg of the UCL semi-final with Real Madrid despite being promised a place in the starting lineup.
Thomas Tuchel has now been replaced by Graham Potter, and the new Chelsea coach, too, does not appear to be impressed by Pulisic’s availability. USA international is still regarded as one of the most valued forward across the globe, and there won’t be a dearth of suitors should the Blues decide to sell him.
The American winger has a deal till 2024, and a cut-price deal could be agreed upon between the two sides. Juventus reportedly asked for the American in the deal when Chelsea came calling for defender Matthijs de Ligt. But the Blues were adamant in their stance that the former Borussia Dortmund winger remained an integral part of their setup.
Bianconeri want to address the right-wing problems, and Christian could be the right solution. Predominantly a right winger, he can be deployed on the opposite flank and can also demonstrate his trickery from the number ten position. Pulisic was expected to leave Chelsea in the summer.
Chelsea join race to sign 24-year-old Premier League midfielder
Chelsea have entered the battle to sign Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz. The London club are keen on a cut-price winter to move for the 24-year-old midfielder as notorious Barcelona yet again turn to Chelsea for a Sergio Busquets replacement.
Luiz was signed from Vasco Da Gama by Man City in 2017 before being immediately loaned out to one of their sister teams, Girona, in La Liga. Douglas joined the Lions for a fee of £15m from Man City despite never playing a game for the reigning English Champions.
Brazil international has been a mainstay in Aston Villa’s first team over the last few years, racking up 118 competitive games for the club, scoring seven goals in the process from his holding midfield role.
The Brazilian mostly operated as a solo defensive midfielder and sometimes as the lynchpin in a double pivot, making recent headlines for scoring from corner kicks.
The South American midfielder will be available at a cut-price deal in winter as the Lions look to avoid losing him on a free transfer at the end of the campaign, with a host of PL top guns, including Arsenal and Liverpool, interested in securing his services.
Now, Chelsea have joined their top-flight rivals in the battle to add the Brazilian midfielder. Graham Potter needs to bring in a new midfielder to bolster his midfield roster, and Aston Villa’s well-rounded midfielder, Douglas Luiz, could be a decent option.
Chelsea leading race for €60m-rated Bundesliga centre-back
Chelsea transfer target Josko Gvardiol has spoken out on his future at RB Leipzig. The London giants were interested in signing Croatia international during the summer transfer window and even offered a swap deal involving Werner, who eventually re-joined the Bundesliga giants on a permanent deal.
The Blues opted to add Wesley Fofana from Leicester City in the end, but they could push to add Josko next summer or in the winter transfer window. Now, Gvardiol has addressed the rumours linking him to Chelsea and has hinted at a move in winter.
“I have people who deal with it, I didn’t think about a transfer. We’ll see what happens in January,” said the 20-year-old centre-back. The Croatian centre-back is still only 20 years old, so he’s far from reaching his full potential. The Croatian is a left-sided centre-back, a specialised position in the modern era.
Despite his young age, Josko is already a regular in the RB Leipzig side, not only performing in the Bundesliga but in European tournaments as well. Gvardiol himself has now opened the door for a move to Chelsea as early as January.
Yet Josko adds he is also more than happy to remain in Bundesliga should no offers arise. It’s not the first time this month Gvardiol has said he’s pleased to still be at RB Leipzig. Graham Potter is thought to be an admirer, and owner Todd Boehly is ready to go back for the centre-back as he looks to land football’s best teenagers.