Chelsea agree personal terms to sign £60m star

Chelsea have been on a tear this summer.

Enzo Maresca’s side stunned plenty of fans and pundits alike on the pitch by adding a Club World Cup title to their Conference League title and have been just as active off of it.

For example, the board have been able to shift a number of players they no longer wanted, like Noni Madueke and Kepa Arrizabalaga, while also bringing in several who could seriously improve the squad, like Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens.

However, they aren’t done there, as they’ve been heavily linked with the mercurial Xavi Simons, and now it would appear as if they are closing in on another player who’d be a dream teammate for the Dutchman.

Chelsea target dream teammate for Simons

While Chelsea continue to be linked with a host of players this summer, one of the more prominent over the last week or so has been Simons.

Reports from earlier today even claimed that the Blues are actually closing in on a deal for the RB Leipzig ace, which could see him move for around £52m.

While that is no small sum of money, it does feel like fair value for a 22-year-old star who racked up 11 goals and eight assists in just 33 appearances last season.

Interestingly, in addition to signing the Amsterdam-born star, the West Londoners now also seem intent on bringing another player to the club who’d be a dream teammate for him.

At least that is according to a recent report from transfers expert Fabrizio Romano, who has reaffirmed that Chelsea are incredibly interested in Jorrel Hato, suggesting that he is ‘ready to accept personal terms’.

More than that, the Italian journalist has revealed that the Blues are in talks with Ajax and view the defender, who is keen on the move, as their “next top priority.”

Romano makes no mention of the fee required to sign the player, but stories from earlier this month claim it could be around £60m, and while that is a lot, it might be worth paying, especially as Hato could be a perfect teammate for Simons.

Why Hato would be a dream teammate for Simons

So, one of Simons considerable strengths is that he’s comfortable playing in the middle of the park as a ten, or out wide as a winger – and sometimes up top – so when it comes to forming a partnership with full-back, it would be incredibly beneficial if they could overlap and come inside depending on what is needed in that moment.

Fortunately, Hato is such an intelligent and gifted footballer that he can do just that.

While he prefers to come inside and invert, at least that’s what he does more often at Ajax; you can see his ability to overlap in his heat map from last season.

This ability to fulfil both roles without much bother will do two things.

Firstly, it will mean he can avoid getting in Simon’s way, depending on where he is on the pitch.

Secondly, it could also see him get more game time due to his adaptability, which in turn will allow him to develop a more effective partnership with the Leipzig star.

Away from their position, the reason they’d be great teammates at Chelsea is that the “exceptional” talent, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, is also a part of the Dutch national team.

Therefore, they’ll have even more time than most to get a proper understanding of one another’s game.

Finally, while the 19-year-old wonderkid’s primary role will be to defend, he’s also shown an ability to create chances for his team, as in 33 league appearances last season, he racked up six assists to go with his two goals, which suggests he could provide a decent number of chances for the former PSV Eindhoven star to score.

Ultimately, Simons looks like he’ll be a brilliant signing for Chelsea, but if the Conference League champions want to get even more out of him next season, signing Hato as well would be a good place to start.

Related

Unofficial Chelsea swap deal possible as club open talks for Maresca outcast

It could be one in, one out at Stamford Bridge.