Chelsea Transfers

[Vesper 28,434]

Poll of the board:

IF Nicolas Jackson is not going to be the main CF we buy this window, then between the two primary choices still on the board, which one do you prefer, and why?

A: Lautaro Martínez

B: Dušan Vlahović

Note: Please do not put out names we simply are not going to pay the demanded price for, like Højlund (€100m) or Kolo Muani (€100m) or Osimhen (€180). Gonçalo Ramos (€80-90m) is likely in that category too, as he is too much of a risk for that type of cash IMHO. If we are talking €50-60m, then sure, he is a viable target.

Ivan Toney is not an option (he maybe would have been my first choice, all things considered) atm due to his gambling ban. Really sucks, as next summer, we would be buying a player who turns 29yo in the winter of that season. This year was his last prime age (we would likely get 4 prime years) buying window for me.

Finally, no, Kane, Mbappe (not even a true CF), and Julián Álvarez are NOT coming here, so let's end that silliness now.

Edited June 25, 2023 by Vesper

[lucio 5,418]

Vlahovic  because tall and strong 

[Vesper 28,434]

5 minutes ago, lucio said:

Vlahovic  because tall and strong 

His regression at Juve worries me though, but I do agree on the tall and strong part.

[Vesper 28,434]

Declan Rice: Arsenal have f***ed it again after Vlahovic, Caicedo and Mudryk

https://www.football365.com/news/opinion-declan-rice-arsenal-fed-it-again-vlahovic-caicedo-mudryk

Arsenal won’t pay an extra £10m for Declan Rice, who could become the latest in a group of players destined to join who have ended up elsewhere. Guys, it’s just £10m.

Arsenal have done an awful lot right in the transfer market under manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu. Gabriel Magalhaes, Ben White, Martin Odegaard, Aaron Ramsdale, Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko have all joined under their watch. That’s a lot of talent for just over £200m.

But they’ve also been the cause of great frustration, or amusement depending on your allegiances. Their haggling, futile negotiations and general dilly-dallying has cost them dear, both in terms of the players they’ve missed out on and what those players could have done to improve their outcomes in the last two seasons.

Declan Rice is the latest player seemingly destined for Arsenal who could be pinched at the last minute, in a turn of events that would increase a gap that was supposed to be closed by his transfer between them and the hijackers Manchester City, who pipped the Gunners to the title last season. A title that Arteta’s side may well have won without their previous Rice-like missteps in the transfer market.

With Arsenal’s interest stretching back well over a year, Dusan Vlahovic joined Juventus for £67m in January 2022. ‘Interest’ is understating what had become an obsession for Arsenal. It was Vlahovic or bust for the Gunners, who were desperate to sign a striker and attempted to land one who at that time was beyond their means.

He’s had a lean time of it since but Vlahovic was the striker, along with Erling Haaland, before he moved to Turin. He had scored 17 goals in 21 games for Fiorentina in the first half of the season and made what was at that point – though the tables have very much turned since – the obvious choice to join Juventus over Arsenal: “Juventus is Juventus, there is nothing else to say.”

It’s not that Arsenal didn’t get Vlahovic – which may actually have been blessing given his struggles since – but that they pursued him with no indication that he had any interest in joining, and continued to do so even when it became clear he only had eyes for Juventus, to the point where they had no time to source, negotiate for and buy an alternative.

Arsenal ended up with no-one despite Arteta insisting they had to “maximise the window” when asked about links with Vlahovic, and they finished the season fifth having been pipped to the Champions League qualification spots by Tottenham.

At least they met his asking price. The money clubs want for their players has apparently been irrelevant to Arsenal since, with their opening gambits bordering on derogatory and any bids between the initial offer and the point at which said deal is hijacked or the selling club tells them to f*** off, crucially, and very simply, not the asking price.

Brighton wanted £80m for Moises Caicedo in January, he asked to leave, but Arsenal bid £60m then £70m. They then saw Chelsea swoop to steal Mykhaylo Mudryk because the Blues offered what Shakhtar Donetsk chief executive Sergei Palkin explained were “achievable bonuses”. They included winning the Premier League and Champions League. Which has to make you wonder what the unachievable bonuses were in Arsenal’s package – winning the Premier League and Champions League perhaps. They will certainly be unachievable if their top transfer targets continue to move elsewhere.

Although Mudryk is yet to shine at Chelsea, while alternative signing Leandro Trossard was excellent for Arsenal, Mudryk’s ceiling is far higher and Arteta would likely rather have the Ukrainian to call upon even now, let alone in two years’ time, when he’ll be 24 and Trossard 30.

And there’s little doubt the Arsenal board regretted not spending an extra £10m on Caicedo as they watched Thomas Partey’s body break down before their very eyes as they ceded the Premier League title to City. The Ecuadorian also looks as though he will be a Chelsea player next season.

It looks as though £10m is again the difference between Arsenal’s bid and West Ham’s valuation of Declan Rice, who would reportedly still rather join Arsenal over City. And despite Financial Fair Play considerations, the cost of other targets and money made from potential sales, it’s difficult to get past it only being £10m.

Arteta is desperate for Rice, as he was desperate for Vlahovic, Mudryk and Caicedo. And for good reason: he’s a brilliant footballer who looks as though he would fit perfectly into his system and provide the evolution he’s gunning for. He could be the difference between them winning the title or not next season, just as Caicedo could have been this season.

And what’s this, Arsenal have bid £30m for £50m Jurrien Timber? FFS.

[Vesper 28,434]

Manchester United refuse to raise Mason Mount bid to focus on £80m Moises Caicedo

exclusive

 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/manchester-united-to-drop-mason-mount-bid-to-focus-on-moises-caicedo-nhnd00jfs

 

Manchester United are focusing on other midfield targets, with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Moises Caicedo top of their list, after reaching an impasse in their attempts to sign Mason Mount.

The decision to pursue other options was taken after Chelsea rejected their third offer for Mount, worth £55 million. Chelsea are insisting on £65 million, a price United consider unrealistic given that the player, 24, has only one year left on his contract.

With negotiations having dragged on for a matter of weeks after Mount made clear his desire to swap Stamford Bridge for Old Trafford, United now want to move on to other business.

As well as preparing a bid for Caicedo, they will also step up attempts to sign a new centre forward, with Atalanta’s Rasmus Hojlund and Eintracht Frankfurt’s Randal Kolo Muani the primary options being looked at. Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus is another who could come under consideration.

Brighton are believed to value Caicedo at about £80 million — considerably more than the £58 million plus £7 million add-ons Chelsea are demanding for Mount — but United are prepared to take into account the Ecuadorean’s younger age (21) and radically different contract situation.

He is effectively tied to Brighton until 2028, after agreeing a new four-year contract, with a further one-year option held by the club, in March. Caicedo is also being pursued by Chelsea and has admirers at Arsenal, but United have a longstanding interest in the player, have been maintaining a dialogue with his representatives while going for Mount and will now intensify efforts to explore a deal.

There is sympathy at Old Trafford for Mount, with whom personal terms have been agreed, and who is greatly admired by United’s manager, Erik ten Hag. The offer of £55 million will be left on the table and there could still be room for a compromise with Chelsea, if the west London club are willing to enter talks about closing out a deal at around that mark.

However, having pulled out of a pursuit of Harry Kane after the Tottenham Hotspur chairman, Daniel Levy, offered no encouragement he was prepared to sell Spurs’ talisman, United have already demonstrated a determination not to get involved in long chases for players when the potential selling club is not prepared to negotiate realistically.

There is a belief at Old Trafford that Chelsea are trying to apply a “Manchester United tax” to the Mount deal. It has been noted there that Chelsea were willing to deal swiftly with Manchester City over Mateo Kovacic, and agreed to sell the Croatian World Cup semi-finalist for only £30 million. Set against that fee the asking price for Mount looks especially high, United believe.

Though English players tend to move at a premium, especially in the Premier League, United see £55 million for Mount as a very strong offer compared with the £47.5 million Chelsea paid City for Raheem Sterling last summer — when he had one year left on his contract.

Ten Hag is thought to be on board with the decision to switch midfield targets because United’s budget is limited by Financial Fair Play concerns and their high transfer outlay last summer. Despite being keen on Mount, the manager wants to use that budget efficiently and not overpay for players.

Caicedo has been outstanding since joining Brighton from Independiente del Valle in 2021 and was the subject of a £70 million bid by Arsenal – rejected by Brighton – on deadline day in the January transfer window.

Able to play in both defensive and attacking midfield roles, and at right back, he offers more positional flexibility than Mount, though a modest scoring record means he would not fit quite so well with one of Ten Hag’s desires which is for United to score more from midfield.

Hojlund, 20, shot to prominence last season with nine goals in Serie A and six in six senior appearances for Denmark, scoring most recently in the Danes’ Euro 2024 qualifying draw in Slovenia last week.

Kolo Muani, 24, scored 23 times for Eintracht Frankfurt last season and made important cameo appearances for France at the World Cup in Qatar, scoring 44 seconds after coming on as a substitute in their semi-final victory over Morocco.

Edited June 25, 2023 by Vesper

[Vesper 28,434]

Chelsea lay down the law to Lukaku – €40m the key figure

https://www.Chelsea-news.co/2023/06/Chelsea-lay-down-the-lay-to-lukaku-e40m-the-key-figure/

Saudi Arabian teams have been interested in signing Romelu Lukaku in recent weeks, and quite respectably he’s decided he wants to stay in Europe.

In fact, more than that, he wants one thing – to play for Inter Milan again. The problem is, they can’t afford him. They had him on loan last season and Chelsea were happy to make it happen just to rid themselves of one major problem for the season. But loaning him out year after year only guarantees this issue returning every summer.

Chelsea want a permanent solution, and according to today’s Gazzetta they’ve laid down the law to Lukaku, who is still trying to get his way. He can leave on a permanent deal for €40m. If that means going to AC Milan, Inter’s rivals and perhaps the only team out there currently thinking about paying that sum, so be it.

Lukaku had his way last season, but he’s going to have to get very creative if he wants to get it again this summer.

 

[Reddish-Blue 2,327]

1 hour ago, Vesper said:

Poll of the board:

IF Nicolas Jackson is not going to be the main CF we buy this window, then between the two primary choices still on the board, which one do you prefer, and why?

A: Lautaro Martínez

B: Dušan Vlahović

Note: Please do not put out names we simply are not going to pay the demanded price for, like Højlund (€100m) or Kolo Muani (€100m) or Osimhen (€180). Gonçalo Ramos (€80-90m) is likely in that category too, as he is too much of a risk for that type of cash IMHO. If we are talking €50-60m, then sure, he is a viable target.

Ivan Toney is not an option (he maybe would have been my first choice, all things considered) atm due to his gambling ban. Really sucks, as next summer, we would be buying a player who turns 29yo in the winter of that season. This year was his last prime age (we would likely get 4 prime years) buying window for me.

Finally, no, Kane, Mbappe (not even a true CF), and Julián Álvarez are NOT coming here, so let's end that silliness now.

I'd rather save the money than spend on Martinez/Vlahovic, feel like both will be underwhelming in the Premier League. 

Better off spending that money on Caicedo + another midfielder. 

[Cosmin 2,484]

40m for Lukaku would be a bargain for a top Serie A team. In the right environment, he can be the best striker in the Italian league. 

[Vesper 28,434]

Newcastle United not in for Dusan Vlahovic

https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/130881744/newcastle-united-not-in-for-dusan-vlahovic

Despite working hard on the Italian market in recent times, one player Newcastle United are not currently looking at is Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic. I don’t know if Eddie Howe appreciates the Serbian or not, but as of right now, there is nothing concrete to these links.

All of Newcastle’s focus is on their deal to sign Sandro Tonali from AC Milan. The midfielder will be officially unveiled as a new Magpie in the coming days.

[Vesper 28,434]

Bayern Munich set to swoop for Mason Mount after Man Utd end transfer pursuit - and Thomas Tuchel could arrange reunion with Chelsea star for cut-price fee

https://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/bayern-munich-swoop-mason-mount-man-utd-end-pursuit-thomas-tuchel-reunion-cut-price-fee/bltda282e564a8c67e4

Bayern Munich are reportedly set to swoop for Mason Mount, after Manchester United's decision to end their pursuit of the Chelsea midfielder.

• Bayern ready to hijack Man Utd's move for Mount
• Manchester club could pull out of the race
• United now eyeing move for Caicedo

WHAT HAPPENED? The Red Devils were the favourites to land the English international this summer but they have had three bids rejected by the Blues, the latest one being £50m plus £5m in add-ons. After the latest rejected bid, United have reportedly stepped back from Mount, as they feel that Chelsea's valuation of £65m for the player is too high.

Manchester United's stance has alerted Bayern Munich, who are reportedly set to swoop in and sign the player for a reduced fee as the Blues could lower their demands for a foreign club, according to The Guardian.

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel is reportedly keen on reuniting with Mount, who played some of his best football under the German coach during his time at Chelsea.

 

 

Edited June 25, 2023 by Vesper

[Vegetable 830]

Maybe Bayern trolls decided to bother United instead of us this time, but somehow I doubt they'd be keen to splash this kind of money for Chelsea player.

[Vesper 28,434]

2 minutes ago, Vegetable said:

Maybe Bayern trolls decided to bother United instead of us this time, but somehow I doubt they'd be keen to splash this kind of money for Chelsea player.

 

7 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Bayern Munich, who are reportedly set to swoop in and sign the player for a reduced fee

 

[Vesper 28,434]

Mount .........

the boy who had a dream of Bavarian farmers

[Vesper 28,434]

have to laugh at the dumb as a fucking rock press

using 'Manure's hands are tied financially' to claim that is why they are refusing to go over 55m

BUT

then, in the next sentence, they claim, 'whelp, Manure is moving on to the 80 to 100m rated Caicedo' as a a replacement for Mount

[Magic Lamps 11,638]

2 hours ago, Vesper said:

Poll of the board:

IF Nicolas Jackson is not going to be the main CF we buy this window, then between the two primary choices still on the board, which one do you prefer, and why?

A: Lautaro Martínez

B: Dušan Vlahović

Note: Please do not put out names we simply are not going to pay the demanded price for, like Højlund (€100m) or Kolo Muani (€100m) or Osimhen (€180). Gonçalo Ramos (€80-90m) is likely in that category too, as he is too much of a risk for that type of cash IMHO. If we are talking €50-60m, then sure, he is a viable target.

Ivan Toney is not an option (he maybe would have been my first choice, all things considered) atm due to his gambling ban. Really sucks, as next summer, we would be buying a player who turns 29yo in the winter of that season. This year was his last prime age (we would likely get 4 prime years) buying window for me.

Finally, no, Kane, Mbappe (not even a true CF), and Julián Álvarez are NOT coming here, so let's end that silliness now.

Vlahovic bc more complete. Lautaro is a flat track bully but when the stakes are stakes are high  he is absolutely useless and looks he forgot how to play football. But ideally just save the money. Trust the process with Nkunku and Jackson 

i think something like 

 

        Caicedo————-Enzo

madueke———-Nkunku———Sterling/mud

————————-Jackson ———

 

would be worth a try

 

 

[Vesper 28,434]

more Raphinha bullshit from Spanish Barca asslickers

https://www.caughtoffside.com/2023/05/19/newcastle-could-offer-e80-million-for-26-year-old-south-american-ace/

The 26-year-old has had a mixed season with the Spanish club and Barcelona prepared to cash in on him for the right price.

A report from the Spanish publication Sport (h/t SportWitness) claims that Newcastle United are willing to spend €80 million on the Brazilian international. It seems that Barcelona are willing to accept the offer when it is presented.

roflmaooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Edited June 25, 2023 by Vesper

[Vesper 28,434]

8 minutes ago, Magic Lamps said:

But ideally just save the money

I deffo tend to agree

[Vegetable 830]

26 minutes ago, Vesper said:

 

 

But reduced from what? 🤪 From 75 we were trying to push, fine, but selling him below 50 would be quite ridiculous imo and 50 still doesn't smell like kind of money that Bayern likes to spend…