Happy international break everyone! Chelsea are off until April 1, when they’ll resume their Premier League season with a fixture at home against Aston Villa on April 1.
Their European campaign continues with a visit to Real Madrid on April 12, for the first of the two legged quarterfinal tie. In the meantime, we have transfer talk to do!
We could see a major switch in the advancing portion of the midfield: Mason Mount out, with former Manchester United man Andres Pereira in. Contract extension talks between Mount’s camp and the club have stalled out now, with his current deal set to expire in the summer of 2024.
As we near that point of 18 months to contract expiration, you know that means- use it or lose it time. It’s hard to get much value for your money when selling a player inside a year and a half to go on his current deal.
That’s because other teams know that the chance to get the player for free is just over a year away. Mount, who was brought over from Derby County with Frank Lampard, doesn’t have the same role that he used to with the Blues.
After all, the club has changed managers not just once, but twice since then. According to ESPN, both Manchester clubs and Liverpool are keen on signing Mount.
The same article goes on to say that Chelsea will have some major competition for Pereira, who is now with Fulham, where he has found fine form.
Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid are both understood to be interested as well. Pereira is contracted to Fulham until 2026, with the club holding an option for another additional year.
The club values him in the range of £25-£35 million.
Elsewhere, Chelsea are supposedly interested in adding another goalkeeper, Leeds United’s Illan Meslier. According to Football Insider, Leeds are asking $35 million for their shot stopper.
It would mean that (now backup goalkeeper) Benjamin Mendy would be on the move, and we’ll cover that concept in the next edition of Chelsea transfer talk.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.