Madrid to sell £50m star to Chelsea, Tuchel should sign £150m hitman, Blues in talks to sign defender and Ziyech sends Tuchel message
Chelsea could look to step up their interest for Harry Kane after Alan Shearer claimed the club need to sign a new striker.
Timo Werner was supposed to be the man that would add 30-goals to the side, but he has not scored in 14 Premier League outings, while Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud are hit and miss when it comes to finding the back of the net.
That led to Match of the Day pundit Shearer suggesting that Tuchel needs to sanction the signing of a new striker in the coming transfer window, as he needs more firepower in attack in order to take the team ‘to the next level’.
‘He’s [Tuchel] given everyone an opportunity,’ Shearer said on BBC’s Match of the Day 2.
‘He didn’t play [Mason] Mount in the first game, he’s swapped it over with [Ben] Chilwell and [Marcos] Alonso, [Olivier] Giroud has been in there, he’s changed the system slightly. He’s given everyone the opportunity to impress him.
‘I still think they are lacking that top-quality centre-forward to challenge [for the title].
‘They’ll challenge for fourth but I think to go to the next level they’ll need a top centre forward.’
Chelsea have already held talks over a potential summer deal to land Dayot Upamecano, according to the latest reports in Germany
We have been linked with the highly-rated 22-year-old, with reports in the media suggesting that Thomas Tuchel has made the Frenchman his number one transfer target in the coming windows, but the Premier League side will face competition from Bayern Munich.
Upamecano has a current contract until 2023 at the German side but the player’s representative Volker Struth confirmed he has a £38million release clause – something that is likely to be triggered this summer.
Speaking to Sport1, he said: “The release clause was agreed because the player decided to want to take the next step at some point. It is very likely in the summer.
“Nothing final has been decided yet. The tendency for him to leave the club in the summer is high.
“The release clause is £38m. That is an insane sum in coronavirus times. “In summer 2019 it was something else. The proportions of the transfer fees have changed. I believe that some clubs have to say goodbye to the market values when they sell players.
“[Apart from the Bundesliga] only the English league is in consideration. The Spanish clubs that were eligible are currently financially unable to do so. “It’s no secret that there are two interested parties from the Premier League. A decision will be made and announced in the next few weeks.”
Real Madrid are considering selling long-time Chelsea target Raphael Varane for a knock-down fee.
We have spent some serious money over the past couple of transfer windows improving key areas of the pitch, but there is no doubt that they still need to bring in a premium centre-back to play alongside Thiago Silva, and then replace the great Brazilian.
And Varane has been one player that the club have been trying to sign for the last few seasons, but his high valuation has meant that a deal has been able to get done, and he has remained with the Spanish giants.
However, it seems that they may have the opportunity to splash the cash in the coming transfer window and try to get a deal done, if you believe the reports coming out of Spain right now.
Marca have claimed, the 27-year-old, who has been virtually ever-present this season, has less than 18 months to run on his current contract with the Spanish giants and may be considering leaving the Bernabeu.
Real are already locked in a contract saga with Sergio Ramos – who can leave on a free transfer this summer – and they claim they are just as fearful of losing Varane too.
Hakim Ziyech has told Thomas Tuchel he’s happy playing on the right wing or in midfield, but is happy playinhg anywhere for Chelsea.
Ziyech was one of the big buys last summer that was signed by Frank Lampard in that £200 million transfer spree that he was able to spend, and a player that came to the club with a big reputation.
After establishing himself as one of the best players and most creative wingers in Europe, Ziyech was ready to take that next step in his career to test himself in one of the very best Leagues in world football, and chose the Bridge as the move that would make him a bigger star.
But The 27-year-old has been hampered by injury since his £33million move from Ajax, and fans have only managed to see glimpses of the player that has one of the best left foots in the Premier League.
Asked about his struggles in west London, Ziyech told Dutch outlet Ziggo Sport: ‘It has been a difficult first six months for me at Chelsea. ‘I began with an injury, came back and then got injured again. Things have not gone as I had hoped.
‘The pace of the game over here is much quicker than it was at Ajax. I picked that up straight away, and then I got injured in my first training game.
‘That sets you back completely and then it happens again. It was bloody annoying.
‘I am used to having my friends, and my mum, around me. Being without them has taken some getting used to, and of course the lockdown has made matters worse.
‘On top of that I’ve had to learn how to drive on the other side of the road. I’ve not had any accidents, but it was very difficult at the start.’
‘You know what can happen if results aren’t good enough. It’s not the first time I’ve seen a manager sacked,’ he added. ‘We’ll have to see what type of system he [Tuchel] favours. ‘I don’t mind whether I play on the right wing or in the middle, just so long as I can play. For me that is the main thing.’