Chelsea’s transfer latest and rumours

The English transfer window has been thrown open officially, and teams have already started doing business. Chelsea has signed pre-contracts with Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner who have both joined up with the team officially. The London side is still pushing for more signings.

Bayer Leverkusen’s attacking midfielder, Kai Havertz, is the latest on the Blues’ radar and Leverkusen has indicated a fee of £90m but all parties are hopeful that a £70m deal, plus add-ons, can be done.

The German midfielder scored 12 goals in 30 Bundesliga appearances for Bayer Leverkusen in the 2019-20 campaign and is said to be pushing for the deal to be done before the Bundesliga side’s Europa League match against Rangers next week.

Havertz wants to move to Chelsea and work under Frank Lampard and only an agreement about the transfer fee is holding up the deal.

He has been likened to fellow Germans Mesut Ozil, Michael Ballack, and Toni Kroos and is known in Germany as an ‘alleskonner’ – someone who can do everything.

In the Bundesliga this season he has created 15 big chances, which is the sixth-highest in the league. By the same token, he has created 59 chances overall in 30 appearances.

He has a passing accuracy of 85.44 percent and has completed 402 of the 499 final third passes he has attempted (80.56 percent), putting him in the Bundesliga’s top 10 for the latter.

Champions League qualification means Lampard has more money to spend after signing Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.

Havertz is back in training with Leverkusen as they prepare for their Europa League game against Rangers a week on Thursday, and the 21-year-old would like the deal completed before that game.

It will be a busy summer at Stamford Bridge with Lampard also looking for a new goalkeeper, left-back and center-back.

Players linked to the club in recent times

It’s no news that Chelsea suffered in the defence department all season long and Frank Lampard is keen to right every wrong in there. He’s on the lookout for a new goalkeeper and left-back as we head into the new season.

The Chelsea boss is not convinced Kepa Arrizabalaga has a future as his long-term No 1 at Stamford Bridge and has drawn up a shortlist which includes Jan Oblak, Andre Onana and Nick Pope.

Several clubs in Spain have expressed an interest in signing Arrizabalaga but Chelsea want to get back as much of the world-record £71m they paid for him two years ago as possible.

Atletico Madrid has said that Oblak is not for sale so Chelsea would have to pay his £110m release clause if they hope to get him.

Onana would be the cheaper option. He wants to move to the Premier League and Ajax will listen to offers.

Nick Pope, on the other hand, established himself as one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League this season, keeping 15 clean sheets at Burnley.

Lampard is expected to start Willy Caballero in goal for Saturday’s FA Cup final against Arsenal after he replaced Arrizabalaga for the crucial final game of the season with Wolves.

Caballero has started all of Chelsea’s FA Cup games this season except the 2-0 win against Liverpool in March.

Chelsea conceded 54 goals in the Premier League this season, more than any other side in the top half of the table.

The latest players linked with a Chelsea exit…

With Pedro Rodriguez already played his last game for Chelsea, a host of other players are set to join the Spaniard in moving elsewhere. One of the popular names on the lists of players who might be heading out the door is Willian Borges.

Arsenal have stepped up their hopes of signing Willian on a free transfer this summer according to reports as Chelsea winger, Willian rejected a lucrative three-year deal with Inter Miami in the MLS and wants to stay in Europe.

The Brazilian could, however, agree to a new Chelsea deal following a breakthrough in negotiations.

He has been offered a huge signing-on fee to join Tottenham with Arsenal, ready to offer Chelsea’s Brazil forward a £250,000-a-week contract before the coronavirus pandemic.

Tammy Abraham’s Chelsea long-term future at the club could be in doubt, despite his contract being extended by a further year to run until 2023 according to reports with Olivier Giroud already making the number one choice his since the restart and the fact that Chelsea have gotten Timo Werner who also plays in the same position.

N’Golo Kante could reportedly be on his way out of the club, with Inter Milan interested. The French midfielder may leave Stamford Bridge for “the right money” according to reports as Chelsea is ready to sell the France international to raise funds for extra transfers. Real Madrid also have their sights set on the Chelsea star valued at £71m.

Tiemoue Bakayoko, Emerson Palmieri, Davide Zappacosta, Danny Drinkwater, Michy Batshuayi, and Victor Moses have all been made aware that they do not have a future at Stamford Bridge under Frank Lampard.