Chelsea, along with the rest of most global football, are off indefinitely, so let’s do some transfer talk instead. If there’s one thing that can survive a global pandemic, it’s transfer rumors. Be sure to check out our all-transfer rumor Chelsea XI and our optimal Chelsea XI, with all main transfer targets acquired and key players retained.
With that in mind, let’s take a spin through the Chelsea related rumor mill, covering the goalkeeper and left back positions today. As has been discussed for quite sometime, Stamford Bridge are hoping to ship demoted shot-stopper Kepa Arrizabalaga out, as part of their initiative to upgrade their options in between the sticks.
AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer have previously been mentioned as likely targets. In the case of the former, Chelsea will have to battle Paris Saint-Germain, reports Tuttosport, with both clubs looking to prefer a swap deal.
This would give the upper hand to PSG, as they hold the card of Alphonse Areola to offer in any potential deal. He has more trade bait value than Kepa, who still holds the distinction as being the world’s expensive goalie. However, it appears that if Milan were to part ways with Donnarumma, they would only do so for straight up cash money. The Daily Mail has more.
We now shift to the search for an upgrade at left back, where the Blues will apparently lose out on FC Portos’ Alex Telles, according to Gauchazh. PSG has reportedly beaten Chelsea to the punch, making the Ligue 1 giants a substantial foil for the southwestern London side this summer transfer window.
The Portugese side is reported to have accepted an offer of £28.1 million. So if that goes through, the Blues will have to move on, and the other target at the top of the list would be Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell. Football.London has more.
It’s all bad news for Emerson Palmieri, Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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