Tuchel confirms double injury blow, Blues to pay club-record £105m fee to sign 27-goal striker, as Chelsea planning swap deal with Juventus
Thomas Tuchel is taking Chelsea’s press conference ahead of tomorrow’s game against Fulham, and after a great recent run the boss had some bad injury news.
Mateo Kovacic has been already missed a few games, and we weren’t hopeful about him being ready for the match tomorrow, but Tuchel has now officially ruled him out.
But now we can add Antonio Rudiger to the Croatian as unavailable for tomorrow.
Football.London had the quotes from Tuchel as he explained the situation – the defender felt a twinge at the end against Real Madrid in midweek.
Neither sounds too bad, and in fact both sound like possibilities to return for the second leg against Zinedine Zidane’s team. But for tomorrow’s game, there will be a few changes, that’s now without doubt.
Expect Cesar Azpilicueta to return to centre back, and Reece James to get his chance at wing back. With Kova out, maybe we will get a rare Billy Gilmour sighting?
Chelsea could pay club-record fee to re-sign Romelu Lukaku
Chelsea could pay a club-record fee of £105 million to sign former striker Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan this summer, The Mail reports.
The Blues have had a mixed 2020/21 campaign, but their form has been impressive since Thomas Tuchel replaced Frank Lampard as their manager in January.
The club are already into the FA Cup final against Leicester City, while they could also reach the Champions League final if they manage to beat Real Madrid.
In the Premier League, they are fourth in the standings with a three-point lead over West Ham United and look into a good position to secure a Champions League berth.
Despite the positives, there has been criticism over the club’s lack of cutting edge in the final third, with Timo Werner in particular misfiring in front of goal.
Tuchel is likely to be backed with funds to strengthen the striking department, and it is reported that former Blues striker Lukaku is one of the top targets.
The west London giants could break the bank to sign the 27-year-old, who made just 10 appearances for them between 2011 and 2014.
Chelsea planning swap deal with Juventus
Chelsea and Juventus are reportedly planning for a swap deal in the summer. The Italian side have set their sights on Jorginho while the Premier League club reportedly want Alex Sandro in return.
As per a report in Calciomercato, Chelsea and Juventus could end up making a swap deal in the summer. Jorginho has been linked with a return to Italy for some time, and Juventus are keen on signing him. Alex Sandro has been on Chelsea’s radar for years, but the move has never materialized.
Andrea Pirlo reportedly wants a midfielder signed in the summer, and Jorginho has been named the #1 target. Chelsea already have Ben Chilwell, Marcos Alonso and Emerson as left-back options but have been linked with Alex Sandro once again.