No transfer is too small (at least by fee standards) for us to cover here at The Sports Bank. And that’s why we’ll begin with Marc Guiu, before we move on to Romelu Lukaku, who of course, has commanded some really big transfer fees over the years.
Marc Guiu, not to be confused with Marc Guehi, who was in the Chelsea youth system before making the switch to Crystal Palace, is coming over from FC Barcelona.
?? Marc Guiu to Chelsea, here we go! The club has just informed Barรงa on plan to trigger โฌ6m release clause for 2006 born striker.
Verbal agreement in place with Guiuโs agents, now proceeding with formal steps later this week.
Guiu expected to sign long term deal at #CFC. pic.twitter.com/Gygx1Gdafv
โ Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 25, 2024
Guiu, an 18-year-old striker, has agreed personal terms with Stamford Bridge.
His transfer fee is just $6 million. Yes, “only $6 million,” as it’s a ton of money to you and me. But it really is chump change found in the cushions of the couch to Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital and the rest of Chelsea’s ownership.
Anyway, maybe this will turn out to be a bargain basement signing, and a very shrewd signing?
Moving on to Lukaku, Antonioย Conte had his first press opportunity as Napoliโs manager today at the Palazzo Reale, and he was open about his admiration for the big Belgian striker.
โHeโs an excellent player, a top player,โ Conte said. โThereโs nothing else to say.โ
The two teamed up to be a dynamic duo at Inter Milan, so we’ll see if they can reunite in Naples and replicate that success.
Lukaku then made a loan move to AS Roma, howeve he is still on the books as a Chelsea player. However, they are trying to offload him for his ยฃ35m exit clause.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor ofย The Sports Bank.ย Heโs also theย author of โTransatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,โ andย โNo, I Canโt Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.โ
He currently contributes toย Ravens Wire, part of the USA Today SMGโs NFL Wire Networkย and theย Internet Baseball Writers Association of America.ย His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated,ย Chicago Tribune and the Washington Times.ย You can follow himย onย Linked Inย andย Twitter.
