Chelsea Transfers

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On 05/07/2023 at 18:23, NikkiCFC said:

Our recruitment team is known for spotting youth talent. Asking them to sign experienced players is like asking me to date MILF. 

Halle Berry at 45 years old

which is 10 or so years older than when women start to be called MILFs (hell, I have seen 30 year olds called MILFs)

(she turns 57 next month)

[Reddish-Blue 2,325]

2 hours ago, lucio said:

Time to start slapping in bids for alternatives , Kone , onana, Thuram , luis, lavia 

need to get a settled squad early with all these departures. 

I don't get why we haven't put in a bid for Lavia yet.   What is there to lose from putting in a 40+ million bid for Lavia? 

Seems like we're putting all our eggs in one basket for Caicedo and Brighton will just milk us for an extra 20 million. 

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On 06/07/2023 at 03:22, Pizy said:

Jeez, I didn’t realize Dybala is nearly 30. Feels like he’s been around forever but I figured he was still like 25 or something. 

he had turned 24 less than 3 months before I joined this board

[Special Juan 27,392]

The price for Lavia that is being spoken about is 51M

[Mhsc 866]

Maybe there is a sort of Mexican stand off around Lavia in that loads of clubs want him but none want to start a bidding war where Soton bid us against each other to inflate the price. Perhaps Lavia needs to pick the club he wants (like Caicedo did) and simplify matters.

[xPetrCechx 13,563]

42 minutes ago, Mhsc said:

Maybe there is a sort of Mexican stand off around Lavia in that loads of clubs want him but none want to start a bidding war where Soton bid us against each other to inflate the price. Perhaps Lavia needs to pick the club he wants (like Caicedo did) and simplify matters.

Apparently it is not so simple with caicedo...

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What Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s outburst means for Kylian Mbappe

https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/133408024/what-nasser-al-khelaifis-outburst-means-for-kylian-mbappe

It turned out to be a pretty intriguing press conference at PSG yesterday as they unveiled Luis Enrique as their new manager, with Nasser Al-Khelaifi not holding back as he discussed the tense Kylian Mbappe situation.

To be honest, I’m not too surprised by the tone Al-Khelaifi took, because it pretty much sums up the weak position PSG have put themselves in. While I can understand PSG not wanting to lose Mbappe on a free transfer - no one would want to lose a player of his quality for nothing - but, equally, it reflects how desperate PSG were to tie Mbappe down and keep him out of Real Madrid’s clutches just over 12 months ago.

I still stand by what I’ve said before - I see Mbappe seeing out this season at PSG and leaving after the Olympics in 2024, that’s always seemed the logical finishing point for his story in France. It’s now just a question of which side caves in first.

We know Luis Enrique has set a date of the 10th of July for a return to training, so that gives some scope for there to be meetings before then or just afterwards. There’s also the question of this loyalty bonus that Mbappe is due to receive at the end of July, which has shades of the situation of Neymar at Barcelona just before he left for PSG.

What could this mean in terms of links with someone like Harry Kane? When a player of his quality is potentially on the market, you’re going to get a lot of clubs interested, including Bayern Munich, so it will be interesting to see if PSG really consider Kane as being the right profile for them. Personally, I don’t see PSG as being the best fit for Kane, and I’m not sure that their project will really be attractive enough to convince him. If he is to move abroad, I think the cultural change might be a bigger factor in France than it would be in Germany. I also still think Kane’s most likely destination will be somewhere else in the Premier League, or staying at Tottenham. But it doesn’t hide the fact that PSG have been looking at similar target men for their attack, such as Victor Osimhen and Randal Kolo Muani.

It’s difficult to call at this moment in time what will happen with Mbappe, but I think if he was going to move to Real Madrid this summer then I’m not sure they’d have already spent as much as they have on someone like Jude Bellingham. I still see Mbappe playing out the next season with PSG and then Real coming back to the table for him in summer 2024, whether he’s a free agent by then or not.

For PSG to find themselves in this situation was really of their own making. This is what they accepted when Mbappe agreed to extend his contract, so I don’t foresee there being an easy solution to Mbappe’s future. Let’s see what happens once pre-season gets started.

Can we completely rule out Mbappe signing a new deal as PSG want? I think the key difference is that last time round PSG were very convincing in their message to Mbappe that there would be an overhaul of the project. But now Mbappe, justifiably, feels that nothing has changed since he signed his contract. Of course there also needs to be some self-awareness on Mbappe’s part, because PSG made such a massive effort to keep him, that meant that a lot of the changes they wanted to make could no longer be made. Then again, you could also argue that PSG could’ve done things differently instead of persisting with signings like Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos.

I think the project PSG sold to Mbappe is maybe one year behind schedule, and it might be easier for them to make the changes they want to their squad now. I think the moves PSG make this summer, and under a new manager, could be more meaningful. We also know that if PSG really want to keep Mbappe, they’re not afraid to make that huge financial effort to do so - so one compromise for both parties could be improving his financial situation for the next 12 months with an agreement to move him on next summer. We know that release clauses don’t exist in France, it’s not an option, so it does mean some degree of compromise is required from both sides.

Despite Al-Khelaifi’s protestations, it’s hard to feel sorry for PSG in all this, because unless you have these agreements written down on paper it’s hard to hold someone accountable, however much bleating you might do to the press.

 

 

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Bradley Barcola and Rayan Cherki worth watching as clubs chase Lyon talents

https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/133408024/bradley-barcola-and-rayan-cherki-worth-watching-as-clubs-chase-lyon-talents

There’s growing speculation about Bradley Barcola after a really good season with Lyon. He’s a fantastic talent and is being linked with PSG and RB Leipzig. It doesn’t surprise me at all that a club that specialises in identifying young talent like Leipzig are among those interested in him, while he’d also be a good fit for PSG and the direction they’re trying to move in with younger French talents.

I think the thing that makes Lyon players interesting at this moment in time is the club’s financial situation. They’ve had some limitations set on them by the French football financial watchdog, so if they are to make any significant moves they will have to sell to buy, and not over-spend on salaries. I think we can therefore expect one or maybe two significant departures from Lyon this summer.

That doesn’t necessarily mean Barcola will be the one who ends up going, because I’m sure OL would love to keep hold of him and build around him. I think there are other players that are more likely to leave at this moment in time, but while that financial situation remains an issue, there will likely be clubs looking to use that to their advantage and snare top talents like Barcola.

Rayan Cherki could be one to watch. There have been reports linking him with Chelsea. He made his breakthrough a bit further in the past than Barcola, and he’s another promising young player who’s been catching the eye for a while now. He’s somebody firmly on the radar of top European clubs, as we saw when PSG tried for him last year. I do think Cherki is someone worth watching as I wouldn’t be surprised if other big clubs were to come in for him as well.

Lyon are generally not short of talent that would be of interest across Europe. If I were to pick two players likely to be on the move from Lyon this summer, I would probably put Cherki and Castello Lukeba ahead of Barcola at this moment in time, but it depends on the most attractive offers put in front of Lyon while they have these financial issues hanging over them. Once these issues are resolved I think it’ll be harder to get Lyon to sell, so it’s really about whichever club gets in there first with a proposal that is attractive to Lyon.

Edited July 7, 2023 by Vesper

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Khephren Thuram is a phenomenal talent, so why have Liverpool left the race?

https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/133408024/khephren-thuram-is-a-phenomenal-talent-so-why-have-liverpool-left-the-race

As has been widely reported, Liverpool have now ended their interest in signing Khephren Thuram from Nice, and to be honest I’m not entirely surprised. While I rate Thuram as a phenomenal talent, I do think that a move up to the Premier League might not have come that easily to him at this stage of his career. Romeo Lavia, by contrast, has experience in the Premier League and that makes him more of an obvious fit, while I also think the fact that the opportunity for Dominik Szoboszlai presented itself has also been a bit of a hit to Thuram’s chances of making that move.

Still, it’s not necessarily the worst thing for his development. I’ve felt for some time that Thuram might be better served by staying in Ligue 1 for a bit longer, maybe for one or two more years. It’s unfortunate for him that the Nice project isn’t really living up to expectations at this moment in time, though it could be the start of something more promising under the exciting new appointment of Francesco Farioli.

But with no European football this season, it’s difficult to see where Thuram gets that major development he needs to really push him on. I think he’s definitely a name that will be of interest to a number of European clubs, we now know that probably won’t be Liverpool, but I do think going to the Premier League would’ve required a significant adaptation period for him, so that’s perhaps what led Liverpool to cool their interest and place a greater important on getting Lavia this summer, because he’s someone more likely to be able to hit the ground running.

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Are Arsenal really in for Mohamed Simakan?

https://caughtoffside.substack.com/i/133408024/are-arsenal-really-in-for-mohamed-simakan

Mohamed Simakan is continuing to impress at RB Leipzig and I’m aware there have been some reports of interest from Arsenal. I’m not personally aware of anything concrete from them in particular, and they seem to have moved on and gone for Jurrien Timber as their priority in that position anyway.

Still, it’s no surprise that top clubs are starting to pay serious attention to Simakan, though what I will say is that I don’t see Leipzig selling him and Josko Gvardiol in the same summer. Given that Gvardiol seems to be closing in on a move away and is of great interest to Manchester City, I think we should probably expect Simakan to stay in Germany for at least one more year. And as much as I’m a big fan of Simakan, it’s probably fair to say that Gvardiol is closer to being ready to fly the nest than Simakan is.

Even if Simakan doesn’t move this summer, he’s been on the radar in France for quite some time and I think we can expect to keep seeing those calibre of clubs showing an interest in him. The next step for him is surely to break into the senior French national set-up, and then I expect a move to a big European giant will follow. Leipzig have once again shown themselves to be an excellent springboard for players like this and I think Simakan will probably be another high-profile sale of theirs, even if he ends up initially being in a similar situation to Christopher Nkunku, where he needs to stay one more year with the expectation that he’ll move on in 12 months’ time.

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Fabrizio Romano's Daily Briefing

🚨 Christian Falk's Fact Files - Daniel Levy's Harry Kane FURY, THREE clubs keen on Diaby, brutal Sancho transfer truth, Gravenberch latest & more

Today's exclusive transfer round-up from Bundesliga insider Christian Falk, featuring Manchester United, Arsenal, Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen and more

https://caughtoffside.substack.com/p/christian-falks-fact-files-daniel

Today’s top stories:

• The next coach of Real Madrid? Two names to battle it out to replace Carlo Ancelotti…

• How Daniel Levy could scupper Bayern’s hopes of signing Harry Kane this summer

• And further updates on Moussa Diaby, Jadon Sancho, Randal Kolo Muani and more!

BAYERN MUNICH

I recently shared the news that Thomas Tuchel visited Harry Kane’s home to discuss the possibility of a transfer to Bayern Munich. It is very normal that the clubs are talking to the player they want before they get them but it's indeed not allowed. So we heard that Daniel Levy was very, very angry about that. It doesn’t make it easier for Bayern Munich to get Harry Kane, because, of course, Levy doesn’t want to see Spurs’ captain sitting with another team’s coach. So now things are getting complicated.

You saw Tottenham made a new contract offer, reminding Bayern of a similar situation back in 2021 when Kane wanted to go to Manchester City and it was the same tactic from Tottenham in terms of offering more money. He ended up staying then but we heard that the Bayern Munich bosses are still confident about getting him and that Kane won’t accept the offer until the end of the transfer window. He wants to see if the clubs can come to an agreement.

 

(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

We heard that the talks with Thomas Tuchel were very positive. Money is not the main consideration for Harry Kane in these talks - he wants to win the Champions League and he sees his biggest chance at achieving that with Bayern Munich rather than Tottenham, so I'm not sure if more money can change his mind. But we have to see now how Tottenham will react because I heard rumours that Daniel Levy is so angry that he could perhaps go to UEFA and ask them to penalise Bayern. I asked Tottenham about this and they ‘won’t be offering any comment on this speculation’.

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📢 Jonathan Johnson’s column: Personally, I don’t see PSG as being the best fit for Kane, and I’m not sure that their project will really be attractive enough to convince him. If he is to move abroad, I think the cultural change might be a bigger factor in France than it would be in Germany. I also still think Kane’s most likely destination will be somewhere else in the Premier League, or staying at Tottenham. But it doesn’t hide the fact that PSG have been looking at similar target men for their attack, such as Victor Osimhen and Randal Kolo Muani.

READ JOHNSON'S FULL COLUMN

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Everyone knows that such talks are normal. I think Tottenham have already done something like this. One reason why Daniel Levy is taking such a strong stance here is because he tried to bring in Victor Osimhen and was told ‘no’. Osimhen, I think, has the same idea about winning titles and doesn’t see there being a high chance of that at Tottenham.

I revealed in our last podcast, Bayern Insider, that Yann Sommer has a release clause, which is roughly the same figure as what they paid to Gladbach to sign him. Another key consideration for Bayern is whether Manuel Neuer will be fit in the near future and starting in goal for the club. Now, Sommer has the option to leave Bayern, so the club has to do something if he does use the release clause. Sommer can imagine playing for Stuttgart, so everyone is waiting for his next move. This is why Bayern are talking to Giorgi Mamardashvili but it’s not so concrete that they’ll make a deal with Valencia really soon. He’s an option, as Bayern know they won’t go with Sven Ulreich as the No.2. It’s not clear how strong Neuer is and whether there might be further injuries down the line. Alexander Nubel is coming back in the summer after his loan with Monaco but has signalled his intention to leave again next season as he can’t see himself being picked ahead of Neuer. Sommer is also not young (34). So he’s not the option for the next 10 years. Mamardashvili is 22 so he can be a solution for the long-term. So that's the idea behind these talks.

Bayern are not interested in Khephren Thuram. There are still concrete talks with Kyle Walker, they are waiting for a signal from the player to enter into talks with Manchester City. He needs to decide his future: City or Bayern? He’s target number three. Target number two was Kim Min-jae. Kim is doing his medical checks over the next few days. It’s not done yet - they are doing it now. The doctors are there in South Korea. Target number one is Harry Kane. The ideal addition in midfield would be a 6 and Thuram isn’t a 6; he's playing a little bit further forward in the midfield and that’s why Bayern was thinking about Moises Caicedo instead. However, they heard he is clear with Chelsea himself and now Chelsea and Brighton are talking. So they’re too late for this player and he's too expensive for Bayern because they have to spend a lot of money on other players. So Bayern can’t spend an extra €70-80m on this kind of player.

Edson Alvarez is an option Bayern Munich are thinking about. It can be an option for later in the window but first of all, they land their other targets and signing a player for the 6 role is fourth on the list. So Alvarez, perhaps, in future but first of all, they want to clarify the situation with Walker and Kane.

Bayern Munich previously told Ryan Gravenberch’s management that he has to stay but that was before Hasan Salihamidzic was fired. Now, Munich is starting on 13th July and then they will see how it works in training. Now they are open to talks about Gravenberch, whereas before it was clear that they weren’t, but they want to see him back in training with Konrad Laimer and how everything works. Perhaps Tuchel would be open to the option of giving him away. We heard he was offered to AC Milan by his management (Team Raiola). They are testing the options at the moment. They did the same with Noussair Mazraoui (he's also in the same agency). He was offered to Juventus, but then Mazraoui would only be allowed to go if Walker works out. So you see Bayern Munich and Thomas Tuchel want to see who stands out in training but everybody knows that they have to sell players. Benjamin Pavard is still a topic for leaving the club, so I think one of Mazraoui or Pavard will be sold.

 

 

(Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

There are no offers on the table yet for Pavard but it’s clear that the club will sell him because he’s already said to the club that he won’t sign a new contract. He’ll be a free agent next year, so the club would be happy to receive a good offer.

BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Jonas Hoffman had a release clause that make it possible to leave Gladbach for €10m and it's interesting what's happening now. We have to see what's happening now in Leverkusen because it shows that the club is aware that they are going to have to sell Moussa Diaby. Newcastle, Arsenal and PSG are still interested. He's the one who Leverkusen could lose along with Jeremie Frimpong.

There is also a new development. He was always very close to United. But now Arsenal is in the race also. I heard that United have a lot of positions in the squad they need to address and the right-back spot is not the number one priority. So Frimpong also has to go and talk to Arsenal.

Benjamin Henrichs is also on the shortlist of Arsenal alongside Joao Cancelo. There were already talks with Henrichs. One interesting point in all of this is the fact that Henrich’s agent, Christian Nerlinger, previously played for Bayern Munich and Glasgow Rangers. And when he played for Rangers, Mikel Arteta was a teammate. So both know each other and I heard they talked already about the player Arsenal is interested in but he's still one on the list. It's not clear if he's the main solution but there were talks and there is interest from Arsenal.

Granit Xhaka also arrived on Thursday in Cologne for his medical ahead of completing his exit from Arsenal. He’s set to join Leverkusen this summer.

BORUSSIA DORTMUND

There were always rumours about Dortmund’s interest in Weston Mckennie but nothing happened in the end. The club see Julien Duranville as having a brighter future than Jadon Sancho, which is why they won’t try and re-sign Sancho. Duranville is stronger than Sancho was at his age and so they want to count on him. They already think that next season can be his season, a breakthrough season. So that's why they are not interested.

 

(Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

The other reason why they won’t get involved in the transfer poker for Sancho is that he’s too expensive; he’s earning too much money at United. A player who doesn’t perform won’t find a club willing to pay the money, so I think he’ll have to stay put.

There are many talks behind the scenes, with the fans, over the signing of Felix Nmecha. They don't expect any action from the fans now - no protests. Dortmund chiefs want him to be given the benefit of the doubt. He said that he didn't mean it [his transphobic and anti-LGBT social media activity] like that. So we hope they’re right. There were also one-on-one talks with the player himself to explain to him that this is a no-go. Also, the German national association wanted to talk with him because he is risking his future in the national team if something like this happens again. So the message to him was very clear, and he better accept that that's not okay. Nmecha also has a clause in his contract: if he violates the club’s core values on social media, he will be fined millions of Euros.

FRANKFURT

Frankfurt doesn’t have to sell Jesper Lindstrom, he has a long-term contract. He doesn't think he has to leave. So it depends already on the offer and €25m is not enough. If there was a crazy offer on the table they might then rethink their position but it hasn’t arrived yet.

Frankfurt haven’t had a club come knocking for Randal Kolo Muani. Internally, they’ve analysed the player and looked at how they can make him better next season. So you see, they’re still hoping that he's going to stay. They analysed his runs and speed and think they can make him much better if he's staying and perhaps earn a lot more money, also with a view to the European Championship in 2024, which they believe will raise his transfer value. But they know PSG are interested, as the French club knows that Kane wants to go to Bayern Munich and Osimhen is too expensive. So Paris is an option still but Manchester United are also on the table.

Liverpool

Dominik Szoboszlai held a lot of promise in the Bundesliga but it was harder for the league to lose Christopher Nkunku to Chelsea as he was already a star in the Bundesliga, whereas Szoboszlai was on the way to this point. I think he brought some good money for RB Leipzig. They will reinvest the Nkunku money into a deal for Lois Openda of Lens and they are searching for a Szoboszlai replacement. Szoboszlai is a really good player but he’s not a superstar already; how good he will be we will see in the future.

 

(Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)

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📢 Jonathan Johnson’s column: As has been widely reported, Liverpool have now ended their interest in signing Khephren Thuram from Nice, and to be honest I’m not entirely surprised. While I rate Thuram as a phenomenal talent, I do think that a move up to the Premier League might not have come that easily to him at this stage of his career.

READ JOHNSON'S FULL COLUMN

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REAL MADRID

We believe Xabi Alonso is the number one option to replace Carlo Ancelotti in 2024 (at which point the Italian will become the next manager of Brazil). There were also ideas this summer but he’s very clear in this position. He told Leverkusen he won’t leave this summer because he knows that he's still new and he won't put the club in this situation. But in 2024, there would be no excuse if Real Madrid is asking for him. Of course, he's interested and Leverkusen knows that there will be the possibility of Real Madrid coming in for him. I think at the moment he is one of the biggest solutions and has the best chance to get this job.

Julian Nagelsmann is hoping to get this job too. When he was Leipzig coach there was a little bit of contact. He has the same management as Toni Kroos and he would love to work for Real Madrid. At Leipzig, he made a career plan with his agents and the last step of his career was moving to Real Madrid. So he thought about making a step in between and Tottenham was one of the clubs in this plan. Then Bayern Munich came and changed the plans. He's very interested and if he gets the sign that he could be the coach of Real Madrid in 2024, he would wait, but this sign has yet to arrive. I think Alonso knows the club so well and has a good relationship with everybody in the club. He is in front of this race.

Everybody knows that Leverkusen could just be a step in between. They don't know if it will be Real Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern Munich, one of his former clubs, but everyone knows that one of these clubs will be the next step. And at the moment, there’s just one club which is searching for a new manager in the near future and this is Real Madrid. This is his club and I think that Alonso wouldn’t say no if an offer came next year.

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22 hours ago, lucio said:

Barcelona want him but can’t afford , he’s been publicly courted by them and Busquets said he should replace him. Arsenal want rice because they’ve bought into the English hype 

we could help out Barca with the cash by them selling us one (or more if we could swing it!) of the following

Pedri   
Gavi  
Frenkie de Jong   
Ronald Araújo  
Ousmane Dembélé 

🤣

[Special Juan 27,392]

So, we are at Friday again, we have heard more nothing updates from Romano because truth be told he hasn't got a fucking clue. Rumours are that Brighton want 100M and we are not paying that.

United have sealed Mount and Onana is a matter of time- Arsenal now have Rice and Timber that will be done today, Liverpool have MacCallister and Szbozo and looks like they will secure Lavia

Meantime we are selling all the shit but people are saying we won't budge until Pulisic, Auba and Chalobah are moved on- We are both miles behind  in league position and signings, pre season training has started and we are still no further on with a midfielder and a number 9 that are both fucking crucial.

 

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22 hours ago, Special Juan said:

It will be 80M plus 10 in add ons I think for Caicedo, the structure of the payments is the only thing that is slowing this down

that's a fucking lot of money of you are talking pounds

€90m is £76.7m 

more reasonable

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23 hours ago, Mário César said:

dybala is a safe bet and has one important thing: good finishing ability

the problem is injuries, but it is a bet with low risk, since it is extremely cheap

 

do it!

I am all in for only £10m

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23 hours ago, Mário César said:

 

100M????

fuck that price

more than £100m?

they are fucking bonkers

[Special Juan 27,392]

Some rumours saying Dybala will speak with Jose on Monday and looks like he will renew his contract

[Vesper 28,394]

Just now, Vesper said:

fuck that price

more than £100m?

they are fucking bonkers

just go hard for Barella

80-90m euros will turn Inter's head

and

that is only £68.2m to £76.7m

so tens of millions of pounds cheaper