Two new left back hunts for Chelsea, Blues to sell 12 players to fund £200m move for world-class star, as Madrid join race to sign Chelsea defensive target
Chelsea could still end up losing both Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri this summer as the pair could well look to leave seeking more regular first team action.
Ben Chilwell has come in this summer and pretty much nailed down that regular starting spot out on the left, with the other two largely having to either not feature at all, or just play a rotation role for Alonso at least.
So Chelsea might have to look for a new left back to come in and provide competition to Chilwell next season, and there are two names being strongly linked right now.
One of those targets is Alfonso Pedraza of Villarreal, according to La Razon.
The 25-year old has a €35m release clause.
And at the start of this month, Chelsea were reported as one of the clubs interested in signing Atalanta left back Robin Gosens, as reported by Sempre Inter citing Gazzetta dello Sport.
However, if they want him they will have to work fast, with Leicester seemingly advancing on a move.
Blues to sell 12 players to fund £200m move for world-class star
According to transfer news from Eurosport, Chelsea are willing to sell up to 12 players to fund a move for Erling Haaland. The Blues want to raise £200million in a bid to land the Borussia Dortmund striker.
The Norwegian is arguably the hottest prospect in the world right now and has impressed heavily at Borussia Dortmund. Europe’s biggest clubs are now circling around him over a summer deal. He does have a modest release clause that gets activated in the summer of 2022, but a host of clubs want a deal this year itself.
Tiemoue Bakayoko of SSC Napoli during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Benevento Calcio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona Naples Italy on 28 February 2021. Naples Stadio Diego Armando Maradona Naples Italy Copyright: xFrancoxRomanox SP24-0505
Chelsea embarked on a huge spending spree this season and with the pandemic still going on, finances could be hit hard in the coming season. Nonetheless, Chelsea’s keen interest in the forward means that they are ready to sell first-team players as well as the ones on loan.
Among those on loan, the likes of Danny Drinkwater, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Davide Zappacosta, Kennedy, Michy Batshuayi, Victor Moses, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Ike Ugbo, Baba Rahman and Ross Barkley could be allowed to leave on a permanent basis. There is also Fikayo Tomori, who has impressed at Milan and is almost sure of being signed.
Two first-team players could also be moved on to fetch those extra funds. Tammy Abraham and Kurt Zouma have been deemed surplus to requirements and are set to be sold. All those sales should get Chelsea around £200million, which should be more than enough to tempt Dortmund into selling.
This is by no means an easy deal, with Haaland being the most in-demand player in Europe currently. However, irrespective of his arrival, Chelsea could really do with some player sales given how bloated the squad is. In turn, that would help us balance the books and fund new arrivals.
Madrid join race to sign Chelsea defensive target
According to transfer news from Metro, Real Madrid are set to battle Chelsea for the signing of Jules Kounde. It has been reported that manager Zinedine Zidane sees the Sevilla starlet as a solution for his defensive woes.
Chelsea are looking at defensive options, with some players like Silva and Azpilicueta at the fag end of their careers. Kounde is among the names being considered by the Blues and Tuchel. Adding a new defender has become a priority, with Tuchel switching to a back three.
Kounde has made a name for himself in the short while he has been at Sevilla. That has encouraged teams from all over Europe to keep an eye on him and clubs are trying to sign him. It has been said that Kounde has a £78million release clause but they can be tempted to reduce it if a player is received in exchange.
Real Madrid are looking to add new defenders to their side, especially with the futures of Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane looking uncertain. Manchester United are said to be after Varane and so are Chelsea. With the need for a new centre-back, Real have turned their attention to Kounde.
This interest from Real Madrid comes as a blow for Chelsea. The problem though is that Real Madrid have a history of buying players from Sevilla, with Ramos being the prime example and they could just do the same in the case of Kounde if the likes of Varane and Ramos eventually leave the club.