We’re into the home stretch of the summer transfer window, and Chelsea FC have a lot of work to do yet. They got off to a very late start this summer, and there is quite a bit of ground to make up. Thus, we’ve done and provided you triple shot of Chelsea transfer narratives in the past 24 hours. Part one, linked here, focuses on the three players in the attack who could still leave before the end of the summer: Callum Hudson-Odoi, Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic.
Part two was a deeper dive into the Frenkie de Jong situation, which is complicated to say the least. I mean, FC Barcelona have really made a mess of themselves, financially. Here in part three, we focuses on two more players that could be making the Stamford Bridge switch, in addition to De Jong.
First, a De Jong update: Sky Sports claim the 25-year-old midfielder is open towards moving to Chelsea, instead of United, as they play in the UEFA Champions League. Per Sky, Chelsea can and will match the $87 million bid that United made for the Dutchman a couple months ago.
So what’s the hold up?
There is still over $19 million (approximately) in deferred wages that he is owed by Barcelona, who want him to take a massive pay cut if he is to stay put. Well, that’s enough on a saga that has grown well past the tedium, a very long time ago.
On to a potentially record-breaking deal- Chelsea are set to make their third, that’s right, third bid for Leicester City central defender Wesley Fofana, and the amount would be £85 million. That would comfortably surpass Harry Maguire, and it would make him the most expensive centre back of all-time.
With two bids already rejected for Fofana, I guess you do what do gotta do, in order to replace Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger. But wait, there’s more: Paris Saint-Germain is potentially set to hijack it. It would be deja vu for Blues supporters, as they saw the aforementioned Barca do exactly that to them, with Sevilla CB Jules Kounde.
Chelsea’s two offers for Wesley Fofana are ‘nowhere near’ Leicester’s valuation, says Brendan Rodgers ? pic.twitter.com/amh8LaiW78
— GOAL News (@GoalNews) August 11, 2022
And in our final nugget, we cover the Catalan club again.
Chelsea could do some more shopping at the Camp Nou, in addition to De Jong. That comes in the form of striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. A former Arsenal captain (who wore out his welcome there as much as possible) in a Chelsea shirt? Really? Hey, yeah that’s football! Here’s the latest on that via Fabrizio Romano, and Football.London.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and he co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast, part of Edge of the Crowd Network. Follow him and the website on Twitter and Instagram.