Chelsea have approached and sounded out Barcelona, alongside other elite European clubs, over signing a member of Enzo Maresca’s squad before deadline day as they hunt for potential buyers.
Players most likely to leave Chelsea this summer
It’s been another summer of lavish spending for Todd Boehly and BlueCo, most recently topped up with the signing of Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid in a deal which could be worth up to £46.3 million.
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Breakthrough: £100k-p/w ace “on the verge” of joining Chelsea in £43m deal
He is set to become a Chelsea player in the coming days.
The Portugal international looks set to make a return to Stamford Bridge and is set to undergo a medical this week, where he will then put pen to paper on a six-year contract at Chelsea, and the move will allow Conor Gallagher to finally complete his transfer the other way after being in limbo for around a week.
Supporters may well be upset to lose Gallagher, who is a Cobham academy graduate and played a key role under Mauricio Pochettino last season. With the 24-year-old now finally set to wave his goodbyes to west London, he could be joined by a host of other players.
Napoli have lodged an official bid to sign Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea, following weeks of speculation regarding the Belgian and a potential reunion with Antonio Conte in Serie A.
|
Chelsea’s best-performing players in the Premier League last season |
Average match rating (WhoScored) |
|---|---|
|
Cole Palmer |
7.48 |
|
Conor Gallagher |
7.13 |
|
Nicolas Jackson |
7.07 |
|
Moises Caicedo |
6.85 |
|
Noni Madueke |
6.84 |
He is apparently closer than ever to leaving the club, three years after they signed him from Inter Milan for a whopping £98 million. As well as Lukaku and Gallagher, the likes of Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja, Noni Madueke, Cesare Casadei, Trevoh Chalobah and Kepa Arrizabalaga stand out as other high-profile Chelsea players who are up for sale this summer.
Chelsea approach Barcelona over selling Carney Chukwuemeka
Another player facing an uncertain future under Maresca is 20-year-old midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka.
The Englishman started just two Premier League games last season, making the vast majority of his appearances off the bench, but he did manage a goal and an assist over his 224 total top-flight minutes.
According to The Sun, Chelsea have even sounded out Barcelona over potentially signing Chukwuemeka, offering them an opportunity to bring him in permanently, or even on loan.
They’ve approached other top European clubs too, as they seek a new home for the £115,000-per-week ace, and may accept a lower fee than his £40 million valuation.
However, as things stand, it is Crystal Palace in pole position. Maresca has publicly praised Chukwuemeka as a “very good” player, but admits that he cannot guarantee him game time.
“I think every case is different,” said Maresca on Chukwuemeka’s future after their defeat to Man City.
“Carney, I think he is a very good player. The problem is, because of some injuries in the past, I think the best for him is to play 30 or 35 games in a row, to show himself that he is fit and how good he is because he is very good.
“With us, is he going to play 35 games? I’m not sure.”
