Chelsea are now “advancing” talks to sign an “exceptional” £70m player, with a formal offer expected “soon”, journalist Ben Jacobs has revealed.
Blues eyeing new attacker with Felix heading for exit
The Blues have been able to splash the cash this summer, in part due to their successful Club World Cup campaign, and they are still looking to make more additions to the squad, given that they are about to complete a big-money sale.
Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Joao Felix is now closing in on a move to Al-Nassr, which is set to raise up to £43.7m, while Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga and Armando Broja all still remain up for sale.
Even with the likes of Felix, Broja and Sterling due to depart, it is difficult to envisage where another attacker would fit into the starting XI, given that Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens have already been brought in this summer.
However, the west Londoners remain keen on signing another attacking midfielder, and Jacobs has now revealed they are “advancing talks” with RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, with the terms of a deal now broadly in place.
Direct talks with Leipzig are currently ongoing, which are described as “positive”, and the Blues are expected to submit a formal bid “soon”, with Romano recently revealing they remain confident about getting a deal over the line.
Simons could be “exceptional” signing for Chelsea
Enzo Maresca is, of course, already blessed with an array of attacking options, with Cole Palmer performing particularly well at the Club World Cup, picking up two goals and an assist in the 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the final.
However, it remains to be seen what sort of effect competing out in the USA will have on the Blues’ regular campaign, and Maresca may need a bigger squad to cope with the increase in fixtures.
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The Blues are pressing ahead with a move for a defender, who is also a target for the Gunners.
As such, the £70m-valued attacking midfielder could be a necessary signing for Maresca, and there are signs he would be able to kick on at Stamford Bridge, having been lauded as an “exceptional player” by Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund.
Simons also recorded fairly similar attacking numbers to Palmer in the 2024-25 campaign, although it would, of course, be a step-up to move to the Premier League from the Bundesliga.
