Vesper

Dani Olmo release clause to be extended amid Chelsea links https://thedailybriefing.io/i/146497573/dani-olmo-release-clause-to-be-extended-amid-Chelsea-links I want to start with an important update on the situation of Dani Olmo. From what I’m told, there is an important detail on Olmo’s €60m release clause. The plan was for the clause to run until Monday 15th July, but if the Spanish national team were to reach the final of the Euros, it would then run for five more days. Now we know that Spain have reached the final of Euro 2024, where they will face England, his release clause at RB Leipzig will be valid until the 20th of July. This means the agents of the player have more time to hold more meetings to find a solution for him. I’ve been asked about reports in England linking Olmo with Chelsea, but at the moment I’m told they are not negotiating for him. Chelsea already have Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and then Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian to come later, so it’s not something concrete for Chelsea at this stage. But he can be an option for many other clubs. Chelsea are not short of talented left footed attackers, but they are looking for a right footed winger, and also for a striker - these are the two positions that are a priority. So what’s going on with Olmo? I’m told that there are meetings expected with Premier League clubs, while Bayern also appreciate this opportunity, but it could be really complicated to negotiate with Leipzig if they’re not fast and the date of his release clause being valid passes. It would take a lot more than €60m to sign Olmo after the 20th of July.

Chelsea exploring Samu Omorodion alternatives, plus more updates https://thedailybriefing.io/i/146497573/Chelsea-exploring-samu-omorodion-alternatives-plus-more-updates Chelsea have already had a bid rejected for Samu Omorodion. But if later in the window Atletico Madrid change their mind and open the door for Omorodion to leave for the right price, then Chelsea will be there. For now, though, Chelsea will also explore other options, as we have to respect that Atletico Madrid have always been very clear - they want to keep Omorodion and he is very happy at the club. In other news at Chelsea - Renato Veiga has completed the second part of his Chelsea medical - everything is going to plan for this one. I also think one to watch will be David Datro Fofana - I expect him to leave Chelsea this summer, and there are many clubs interested in him. Important days ahead for Xavi Simons We are entering into really important days for the future of Xavi Simons. Of course he scored a wonderful goal for the Dutch national team last night, but they’re now out of the Euros, so now it’s time for him to decide his future together with his agents. Simons has already been clear with Paris Saint-Germain - he will not play for them next season. In the coming days, he will take his time to decide what club he wants to join on loan. It won’t be a permanent transfer, this is the current situation but I will let you know if it changes. At the moment it looks like Simons has two main possibilities - one of those is Bayern, who have been very strong in recent weeks because of director Max Eberl, who is the same man who signed him on loan for RB Leipzig last season. Eberl was able to convince Simons to join Leipzig when he was director there, and he has a very good relationship with the player and his agents. Bayern are pushing, with Eberl now the director there. Staying at Leipzig for one more season is also an option for Simons, and they are pushing as well. They have this dream of keeping Simons for longer, after also managing to extend the contract of star striker Benjamin Sesko, and of manager Marco Rose. So, Bayern and Leipzig have positioned themselves to sign Simons, but let’s see if some other clubs will try to enter the race.

Chelsea under Enzo Maresca: How will they line up defensively? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5627972/2024/07/11/Chelsea-maresca-defence-chilwell-cucurella-james/ Balance is the state that all coaches strive for their teams to reach, and it proved elusive for Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea last season. During his sole season as Chelsea head coach, Pochettino revived an attack that had slumped to historic lows under predecessors Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter. With 77 goals in their 38 Premier League matches, Chelsea had the division’s fifth-most-prolific attack, at times played thrillingly incisive football, and scored at a sufficient rate to be on the fringes of the Champions League qualification picture with five straight wins on the run-in. But they did not earn a place in UEFA’s blue-riband club competition, nor the second-tier Europa League, because Chelsea’s attacking improvement came at the cost of their worst defensive campaign since the Premier League era began in the early 1990s: 63 goals conceded, the ninth-most in the division. Chelsea made cheap errors, suffered communication breakdowns, over-committed to attack and were too easy to carve open in transition. New head coach Enzo Maresca has not been hired as Pochettino’s replacement because he is a defensive specialist. His tactical philosophy is similar to Pep Guardiola’s approach — having worked under him at Manchester City in two separate spells over the past four years — and prioritises defending with possession. But how the back line is structured in different phases of the game is vital to the integrity of his system, and it will make new demands of the defenders at his disposal. Those demands will likely shake up the west London club’s defensive hierarchy. Here is a closer look at how that might play out… Maresca’s favoured starting formation as Leicester City manager last season was 4-3-3, but for the bulk of their 46 Championship matches, they were arranged in more of a 3-2-4-1 shape. Ricardo Pereira, the nominal right-back, shifted infield into the base of midfield alongside Harry Winks, giving the three remaining defenders another forward passing option and freeing up the two attacking midfielders — the left-sided one was Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, who has followed Maresca to Chelsea — to push higher into the attacking half-spaces. GO DEEPER What it's actually like to play as an 'inverted full-back' One aim of this tactic was to give Leicester numerical superiority in the middle of the pitch, offering greater control in possession and more options to progress the ball upfield. Another was to better equip the team to defend counter-attacks, with two players holding their positions in midfield to protect those three defenders. Maresca would even instruct Pereira (or Hamza Choudhury, when the Portugal international was absent) to hold his midfield position when Leicester lost the ball, in order to keep the team in a better shape to press high and quickly win it back. Only if the opposition evaded the initial press and kept the ball did Pereira return to his right-back post — which, given that Leicester enjoyed 62.3 per cent possession on average in the 2023-24 Championship on their way to the title, was not very often. Chelsea will surely look similar in 2024-25. The first consequence of that will be for the full-backs, who will no longer be called upon to provide an attacking threat with overlapping or underlapping runs. Instead, one will stay back to remain part of a three-man defence while the other pushes into central midfield, forming half of a double pivot. Last season, Maresca always inverted his right-back into midfield, but there are already signs that he at least wants the option of doing the same thing with his left-back at Chelsea. While not guaranteed to be an immediate first-team signing, Renato Veiga has been signed from FC Basel in Switzerland because he is considered capable of functioning in defensive midfield, as well as on the left of a back three. Marc Cucurella has similar positional flexibility, having showcased his ability to invert into midfield under Pochettino in the final stretch of last season. Deploying Cucurella in a three-man defence is dicier since his small stature (172cm/5ft 8in) makes him a target for opponents to exploit with back-post crosses. Levi Colwill, at almost 6ft 2in, is far better aerially and can lean on his left-back experience gained last season, though he sometimes struggles when defending in space against fast wingers. The odd man out here looks to be Ben Chilwell, a more conventional full-back who excels at surging up the left to support attacks. Pinning him in a back three wastes arguably his best attribute, but Chilwell lacks the experience of moving into midfield and navigating small central spaces. Regardless of whether Maresca inverts from the left or the right of defence, his fit is unclear. Reece James might be Maresca’s best choice to invert into the base of midfield. His close control and passing range are far beyond those of a typical full-back, and he played the vast majority of his first season in senior football as a central midfielder while on loan at Wigan Athletic in the 2018-19 Championship, English football’s second tier. The only issue is that, for long stretches of his Chelsea career, James has been one of their most dangerous attackers, supplying pinpoint crosses and cutbacks from the right. Even if James is Maresca’s first choice for the role, he will need to explore alternatives during the upcoming pre-season, partly because of the 24-year-old’s lengthy injury history and partly because he will miss the first three Premier League games of 2024-25 through suspension after a straight red card against Brighton & Hove Albion in the penultimate match of last season. Malo Gusto also possesses the technical quality to potentially adapt to the role, having played as a No 10 for much of his youth career at French club Lyon, but he too is a potent crossing threat further forward. With the possible exception of Cucurella, all of Chelsea’s full-backs would require varying degrees of adaptation to operate at the base of midfield and “move in the traffic”, as Maresca puts it. His system will also place new demands on the centre-backs and goalkeepers. The middle defender in Maresca’s back three is a key player. With the ball at his feet, he must identify and find the free man in midfield. Against opponents who congest the middle third of the pitch, that free man might actually be the No 9 dropping deep or one of the wingers, isolated against their full-back. It is a role that requires tactical intelligence, a high level of technical proficiency and reliable decision-making. Thiago Silva, the man who occupied that role in the middle of Tuchel’s back three, is no longer at the club. All of the other centre-backs who featured under Pochettino got exposed, to varying degrees, by a less heavily structured system that tended to disintegrate under duress. Of those available to Maresca, Colwill and Benoit Badiashile might be the most technically accomplished passers, though both will need guidance and practice in setting the passing rhythm of their team. Tosin Adarabioyo was signed as a free agent after leaving Fulham in part for his comfort level on the ball, and Trevoh Chalobah has played a lot of football as a defensive midfielder. The other centre-back in the three-man unit must be comfortable defending wide areas in transition scenarios, on the left or the right depending on which full-back has inverted into midfield. Wesley Fofana (provided he is truly back physically), Badiashile and Chalobah are all athletically equipped to do that. Axel Disasi was also used as a right-back by Pochettino but rarely looked comfortable there, and may face the biggest challenge in convincing Maresca he can play his system. In moments when opponents press Chelsea’s three-man defence, Maresca will want the goalkeeper to push up and become the free man in a de facto back four. When they receive the ball, his ’keepers are under strict instructions to pass it short; last season Leicester’s No 1 Mads Hermansen launched passes 40 yards or more only 17.8 per cent of the time. His distribution skewed even shorter than Chelsea counterparts Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic, who launched the ball long 21.3 per cent and 22.1 per cent of the time respectively. Sanchez is expected to begin the coming season in the team and produced stretches of solid short distribution during the previous one. But there were also enough slow decisions and passing errors to make Chelsea fans very nervous, and ultimately Pochettino lost faith in him. Replacement Petrovic took fewer risks on the ball but turned over possession with long kicks more frequently as a result. It is hard to shake the feeling the new head coach lacks a great option here. Chelsea should improve defensively in 2024-25. Maresca’s approach of keeping five outfield players behind the ball when in possession is very similar to that of Tuchel, who built the most formidable defensive structure in European football at Stamford Bridge virtually overnight after being appointed in January 2021 and laid the foundation for a remarkable Champions League final triumph four months later. The current squad does not boast anywhere near the level of experience Tuchel inherited back then, but Pochettino set a historically low defensive bar for his successor. As long as he obtains and maintains a good level of buy-in from the players, Maresca should have no problems clearing it. A trickier question is whether Maresca can maintain the attacking potency Chelsea found under Pochettino while keeping five players behind the ball to defend transitions. Tuchel’s early success was built on an impenetrable defence and a smart, smothering press, but offensive production eventually nosedived as Chilwell and James succumbed to injury, individual attackers lost confidence and opponents found more effective ways of disrupting a mechanical style of play. James in particular is unlikely to be the attacking weapon he was under Tuchel in Maresca’s system. More of that creative burden will instead fall on the two No 8s, one of which is often likely to be Dewsbury-Hall, who must prove he can scale up his impressive Championship production last season (12 goals, 14 assists) now he’s back in the Premier League. The ripple effects of such a tactical change will be fascinating. In his search for balance, Maresca will be forced to make some bold judgements on which of Chelsea’s defensive players he trusts the most — and his thinking should become clear early in pre-season. GO DEEPER How much like Pep Guardiola is Enzo Maresca?

I would prefer Duran

atm it looks like we are all in for Samu Samu Omorodion to Chelsea now looks the most likely potential striker deal for the Blues as interest in the likes of Jhon Duran and Jonathan David is said to have cooled. Karim Adeyemi has been linked with Chelsea and reports in Germany claim the Borussia Dortmund winger would be keen on a move to the Premier League if he is to leave his current club. Benoit Badiashile to Juventus? The Chelsea defender continues to be linked with a possible exit from Stamford Bridge this summer.

Chelsea Have Not Presented Proposal for 'Next Level' Star https://www.givemesport.com/Chelsea-havent-presented-jonathan-david-proposal-lille/ HIGHLIGHTS Chelsea are aiming for a top four finish, and they are targeting Jonathan David as a result. David's availability is for a lower fee, with Lille open to selling. Fitting David into Chelsea's attack may be challenging. Chelsea fans will be hoping for more signings in the summer transfer window as they aim to capitalise upon their sixth-placed finish in the Premier League by going one better next season - and Fabrizio Romano has exclusively told GIVEMESPORT that they could be in the market for Jonathan David, who is available for a cut-price fee. The Blues have been proactive throughout the Todd Boehly era, spending over £1billion on new players; and whilst their initial spending was not translated to results on the pitch, the last six months have seen the Stamford Bridge outfit begin to gel. Next season is huge, and as a result they could land David with Lille open to selling their star attacker with one season left on his deal. David Has Suitors Across Europe The Canadian has been consistent for Lille for years David was touted with other Premier League clubs back in June, with Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and West Ham United all being touted with an interest for the Canadian international. Lille have previously asked for a premium in the past but with the attacker in the final year of his contract and with teammate Leny Yoro likely to command a fee of at least £42million, there is less impetus on using David to garner a strong fee and as a result, any respectable fee could be taken. Chelsea do have a plethora of attackers though, especially on the left wing where the likes of Raheem Sterling and Mykhailo Mudryk can play; whilst Cole Palmer and Noni Madueke make up the attack on the right flank, with a host of worldwide youngsters coming into the mix in years down the line such as Kendry Paez and Willian Estevao - and so it could be tough to see how David fits into their system. Romano: €20m Could Be Enough to Land David French teams are selling on the cheap this season Speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT, Romano stated that whilst talks weren't undergoing for the Canadian, there is interest from clubs in England and Italy - with a fee as little as £16.8million potentially being enough to prise him from France. Romano said: "For Jonathan David, there is interest from several clubs in England and in Italy. At the moment, there is still nothing advanced but Jonathan David will be one of the opportunities, because he's out of contract next summer at Lille, and not extending his contract. "For sure, many clubs have asked for conditions of the deal, and I think from what I'm told, that something around €20-25million (£16.8m-£21m) could be enough to land the player. "So there could be an opportunity. At the moment, Chelsea have not presented any proposal from what I'm told, so it's still early or all quiet around Chelsea and Jonathan David - apart from the interest they can have for the opportunity. For David at the moment, it's not a proper negotiation." David Could Struggle to Breach Chelsea Starting XI There are a plethora of young talents waiting to make their name It's yet to be seen where David, described as being "next level" by former national team coach John Herdman, would fit in, though he could become first-choice on the left wing if Palmer is used in a more central position - meaning that Sterling could shoot over to the right. Todd Boehly is massively overloading his squad for the future, with Sterling - at just 29 - being one of the oldest players in the squad, and that could put David in a grey area if he joins with a lack of immense experience but also without real youth on his side. end our 5 oldest players atm (the 3 oldest surely will leave soon, Bettinelli is no longer needed at all, IMHO, plus STERLING HAS TO GO!, his £325-350K PW salary is killing us) none of them are vital, as Chilwell simply cannot be counted on to remain healthy as far as I have seen all are on massive wages, save Bettinelli the other 4 are on around a million quid a week combined! madness

cannot take another global Pessi wank

so hope they beat the Argies

nil 1 Colombia FT

https://www.football-espana.net/2024/07/08/we-have-the-money-to-sign-nico-williams-today-barcelona-president-joan-laporta Barcelona President Joan Laporta has surprised many by declaring that they can afford to sign Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, who has been heavily linked to the club. Much of the reporting around the club states that the Blaugrana still need to complete several deals and sales in order to think about doing so. During an interview with Catalunya Radio, Laporta was asked if as of today, Barcelona could afford to sign the 21-year-old from Athletic – he has a release clause of €58m. He was short and sweet with his answer. “As of today, yes.” “There will be good news in terms of the sporting side of things, we will announce things soon. We are working on the deals that Hansi has requested.” Beforehand he had spoken of the improvement in the economic fortunes of the club, stating that they were working on several deals in the background that would ‘confirm the economic recovery of the club’, and that he hoped to be able to announce good news ‘very soon.’ Those operations would have Barcelona return to operating within their salary limit – “we will return to normal in terms of Fair Play shortly,” he added. Laporta’s words, but also his relaxed and cheerful demeanour were a departure from the mood around the club over the last couple of months. During the short five-minute interview, it seemed he was intending on delivering good news. It would not be the first time that there has been misplaced optimism at Barcelona over the second Laporta mandate, most famously with Lionel Messi, but if he can back that up, then Barcelona’s fanbase will certainly be delighted.

Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has 'said yes' to a £40m move to West Ham United https://www.givemesport.com/jhon-duran-green-light-west-ham-united-aston-villa/ Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has given the green light to a move to West Ham United as he is attracted by the possibility of working under Julen Lopetegui, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, speaking exclusively to GIVEMESPORT. Despite recent links with Chelsea, the 20-year-old Colombia international has emerged as a concrete option for West Ham in recent weeks. The Hammers are keen to bolster their attacking options under newly-appointed boss Lopetegui after relying heavily on winger Jarrod Bowen’s stellar performances up front last season. Anticipating a busy remainder of the summer, West Ham recently announced the signing of Wolves defender Max Kilman and show no signs of slowing down in the transfer window. According to Romano, Duran has already ‘said yes’ to West Ham as he looks to leave Villa Park after a disappointing 18 months under Unai Emery. GMS has previously reported that the 20-year-old is not seen as ‘a major part’ of Emery’s plans going forward, with the Villains happy to see him leave ahead of their Champions League debut. The Birmingham outfit are seeking reinforcements in several areas across the pitch before their historic season and could entertain offers for Duran reaching around £40m, according to Romano. Aston Villa Set Price for Duran He is keen to work under Lopetegui Romano, speaking to GMS, suggested that West Ham have ‘a concrete possibility’ to sign Duran this summer: “For Jhon Duran, Aston Villa always wanted something around £40 million. So let's see if maybe with some add-ons, they can reach an agreement and get the deal done. “The player already said yes to West Ham, he is attracted by the possibility of working under Julen Lopetegui. So for sure, Jhon Duran-West Ham is a concrete possibility.” The Colombian striker, who joined Villa in January 2023 from Chicago Fire, has struggled for playing time under Emery, racking up just 462 minutes of Premier League football last season. Superb Ollie Watkins’ form left Duran watching from the sidelines as he now looks to depart for a fresh start in England and could become West Ham’s starting striker in Lopetegui’s first season. Last month, the 20-year-old was heavily linked with a move to Chelsea, but the Blues eventually advanced with signing promising forwards Omari Kellyman and Marc Guiu.

he is now solidly our starting LB in my book

he had scored two goals in the tournament as well massive loss

HT now nil 1

Daniel Muñoz, their RB, was red-carded

Uruguay URY vs Colombia COL 11 July 2024 at 1:00. Browser Links 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 99% Web 1006kbps 95% Aliez 1002kbps 95% Aliez 1000kbps 95% Aliez 924kbps 95% Aliez 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 1325kbps 95% Aliez 995kbps 95% Aliez 1327kbps 95% Aliez 1331kbps 95% Aliez 2000kbps 95% Aliez 2500kbps 95% Aliez 744kbps 95% Aliez 744kbps 95% Aliez 744kbps 95% Aliez 744kbps 95% Aliez 744kbps 95% Aliez 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web 95% Web AceStream Links 8000kbps 95% 8000kbps 95% 8000kbps 95% 8000kbps 95%

Colombia up 1 nil BUT they just got a red card

correct

TRANSFER UPDATE LIVE SHOW (replay from show that just ended) Fabrizio Romano https://www.playback.tv/replay/CUwwWagv

Man City make Jack Grealish transfer decision with ‘partying’ claim made https://www.caughtoffside.com/2024/07/08/man-city-jack-grealish-decision/ According to Football Insider, Manchester City have decided to sell midfielder Jack Grealish. The report has mentioned that the Premier League champions are concerned about his partying habits and now they have decided to part ways with the former Aston Villa midfielder. The midfielder was signed from Aston Villa three years ago in a club record move of £100million. Since then, he has performed in patches for the club but it is widely believed that Grealish has been unable to fulfill his potential at the Etihad Stadium. After the signing of Jeremy Doku last summer, the English midfielder was a bit part player in 2023-24. With every passing season, the midfielder’s value for Pep Guardiola’s team is decreasing as the player has been unable to make a huge impact while his teammates have taken their game to the next level. The Premier League champions are hoping to recoup a large part of the £100million they paid to sign him three years ago. Despite winning the Champions League and Premier League titles during his time at the Etihad Stadium, there are concerns over Grealish and his excessive partying habits. Whenever Man City win a trophy, Grealish can be seen enjoying his life and partying with media outlets covering all his activities. Doku has taken Grealish’s place at Man City Grealish still has three years left on his current deal at Man City and the report has mentioned that Aston Villa would love to have him back at the club if the Premier League giants make him available for sale. In Man City’s treble winning season, Grealish showed his importance and started most of the matches that season but after that, his form has declined and Doku has shown the team what he can offer from the left side of the attack. The former Aston Villa midfielder was a regular in the England setup under Gareth Southgate and losing his place in the team for the Euros this summer should be a huge wake up call for him.

Player Profile: Renato Veiga Lets have a brief look at our newest recruit....... https://siphillipstalkschelsea.substack.com/p/player-profile-renato-veiga Good Evening Ladies and Gents, Firstly, I am writing this article with a lot of happiness but also a tint of regret, last week when I wrote my LCB/LB hybrid article I reviewed 6/7 players and selected just 4 to mention, 2 of the 7 I didn’t include after doing lots of research were Renato Veiga & Ferdi Kadoglu, we have since agreed a deal for Veiga and Kadioglu has been superd for Turkey in the Euros and is in line for a big move this summer. The Veiga deal is everything I want Chelsea to be about, rather than going to spend 50m on a player they are signing 11m on a lesser known player who actually replaced the more expensive option, Bologna signed Riccardo Calafiori from FC Basel who then signed Renato Veiga to replace him, Renato Veiga Player profile; Age: 20 Nationality: Portugese Position: Left Centre Back, Left Back & Holding Midfielder Height: 6ft 3in Summary; I wont lie and say I have watched him lots, but I did profile him in depth last week and was incredibly impressed with my findings, so much so that I genuinely think this will be another Gusto-esque signing. Renato Veiga is a left footed versatile defensive player who is extremely athletic, physical and powerful. He came up through the ranks at Sporting Lisbon and is a Portugese youth international. In January 2023 He went on loan to FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga where he played 15 times in the 4 months he was there. In the summer of 2023 FC Basel bought him from Sporting CP to replace Riccardo Calafiori. He is incredibly comfortable on the ball, has a brilliant passing range, very aggressive in both aspects of the game. He is very quick and even with his height he manages to accelerate very quickly. He has a sense of aggressive shithousery when defending which is something we have missed since Rudiger left. Style of play; His passing range is exceptional, he can switch the play with ease, his long balls are excellent and he is composed and clever over shorter distances. He likes to defend on the front foot and pushes his opponents to the edge physically in order to win the ball back. Although versatile he definitely suits being a defender more than a midfielder for me, he isn’t completely comfortable receiving on the back foot or in tight midfield spaces whereas at the back he seems to get his first touch spot on to open up the play and can be very progressive with his passes and loves to break lines. He clearly is far from the finished article but he has improved a hell of a lot from his Augsburg days to now leaving Basel, in around a year he has improved tenfold, he can immediately impact our first team, that I am sure of. He is completely comfortable inverting into midfield from full back or as a left sided centre back in a back 3 which are both absolutely perfect attributes to have for Enzo Maresca’s system. A couple of clips below that are worth watching; Verdict; He is FAR from the finished article but he is also EXTREMELY promising and has the ability's to impact our first team instantly, I genuinely think in 6 months time he will be nailed in in the lineup let alone the squad. The fee is excellent at just 11m, the scouting, data and detail input to this signing is phenomenal and the low key signings like this always make me more excited! I am really looking forward to see how he adapts to life at the bridge. If you couldn’t guess I am VERY excited about this one. Thanks for reading. Luke Rushbrook

Chelsea https://thedailybriefing.io/i/146423677/Chelsea Murillo to Chelsea has been a topic of conversation - the Blues asked Nottingham Forest about him two weeks ago. However, it’s not yet a negotiation because the Brazilian defender’s likely asking price of £55-60m is too high. Nico Williams to Chelsea could still be an option, but only if the Athletic Bilbao and Spain winger lowers his wage demands, according to Fabrizio Romano on the Debrief podcast. Atletico Madrid remain the most interested club in Conor Gallagher this summer. The La Liga giants have made contact with Chelsea for Gallagher as he’s one of the names on their shortlist. It’s not an easy deal as he’s still expensive — but Atletico’s interest is genuine. Renato Veiga started his medical at Chelsea yesterday, with the move set to be sealed this week. Chelsea will pay a €14m fee to Basel, and the player’s contract until June 2032 will be signed right after. Veiga’s final part of medical will be done on Wednesday then documents will be signed between Chelsea and Basel. Chelsea fans - make sure you don’t miss this Renato Veiga profile to find out more about this exciting new signing. Carney Chukwuemeka to AC Milan? The Chelsea midfielder may be emerging as a loan target for the Serie A giants. Caleb Wiley will become a Chelsea player in the next few days for £8.5m plus sell-on clause from Atlanta United. The 2004-born full-back has signed until 2031 at Chelsea but he will now join Strasbourg, as reported last week. Enzo Maresca: “When you join a club like Chelsea, you know it’s a club that has to win. We’re going to try to do our best to fight and be there with the clubs that in this moment are winning, and are fighting to win titles.” Maresca’s message to Chelsea fans. “Trust the process, trust the idea, be behind the team. We are going to enjoy the journey, for sure. Like every club, like every manager, it will not be easy, but for sure we will enjoy the journey.”

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/man-city-dani-olmo-transfer-29487537