Chelsea now advancing move to sign “superstar”

Chelsea’s summer business has been impressive to say the least. Enzo Maresca has wasted little time in building a team which he believes can go far in both the Premier League and Champions League this season.

Expectations have certainly been heightened after the club won the inaugural Club World Cup stateside earlier this month.

The Blues weren’t expected to cause much of an upset against PSG in the final, but a Cole Palmer double and a Joao Pedro effort ensured the trophy would be heading to London.

If the Stamford Bridge side get off to a good start this season, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Maresca still has plenty of work to do in the transfer window to make sure his squad is exactly the way he wants it.

That means there will likely be another few incomings over the coming weeks. More importantly, however, is the need for the manager to move on several players who don’t feature in his plans this season.

Let’s take a deep dive into all the latest transfer news surrounding the club, shall we?

Latest Chelsea transfer news

Firstly, Maresca is still keen on bolstering his attacking options. Despite having signed Jamie Gittens, Pedro and Liam Delap, the Italian isn’t stopping there.

According to ESPN, Chelsea have shown interest in Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak amid the news he wants to leave the Magpies this summer.

Liverpool appear to be frontrunners for his signature, but should the Blues somehow convince Isak that his future lies at Stamford Bridge, it would eclipse any of the club’s transfers this summer.

Elsewhere, Maresca is still keen on bringing Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho to the club.

The Telegraph state that the Blues are monitoring the situation with the Argentinian winger at Old Trafford as his future looks in doubt.

Garnacho could be available for a fee in the region of £40m should Maresca make a concrete move for the player. Given his age and Premier League experience, this type of fee makes a deal much more appealing.

Regarding outgoings, Chelsea haven’t sold many of their wantaway stars just yet. João Félix is attracting interest from his former club Benfica, although if a deal were to happen, it would mean a significant loss for the Premier League side.

Indeed, the Portuguese outfit wants to acquire 50% of Félix’s rights for a fee of around €25m (£21.7m).

Christopher Nkunku is another player that Maresca is looking to get rid of before the league season gets underway. Both Nottingham Forest and Man United have joined the race for the French attacking midfielder.

The Blues have set his asking price at £43m, which could tempt various clubs to come in and make an offer for the former RB Leipzig star.

As for incomings, one deal that looks close to completion is that of Xavi Simons. The Dutchman has been a key target recently, and it finally looks as though Maresca has his man.

Chelsea close to agreeing personal terms

Fabrizio Romano shared an update regarding the club’s progress on a move for the Leipzig sensation.

“Understand Chelsea and RB Leipzig are now in advanced talks for Xavi Simons.” Said Romano on X.

“Negotiations club to club progressing well, still work to do but heading positive direction. Xavi, keen on Chelsea project with personal terms talks also advanced.”

No concrete transfer fee has been mentioned as yet, but barring any last-minute hitches, this deal should be over the line sooner rather than later.

That means Chelsea have yet another young, hungry attacking prospect ready to showcase their talents in the Premier League.

Can Simons become Chelsea’s very own Florian Wirtz?

Why Chelsea want to sign Xavi Simons

Liverpool made their own statement of intent by splashing out around £116m to sign Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen. If all works out, he could be the signing of the summer.

Simons won’t cost that much – having been touted at around £56m – but the two players are similar in style, being able to operate as an attacking midfielder.

Indeed, throughout the 2024/25 Bundesliga campaign, Wirtz was the fourth-most comparable player to Simons due to their likeness as players.

Not only that, but the pair also registered similar statistics across a range of metrics, including goals and assists (16 vs 22), shots per 90 (2.09 vs 2.83), shot-creating actions per 90 (4.52 vs 5.66), carries into the final third (72 vs 72) and crosses delivered into the opposition penalty area (79 vs 101) during the Bundesliga last term.

Both Simons and Wirtz have strengths including key passes, dribbling and through balls, according to WhoScored. The duo also both love to dribble, counting this as a key skill set, while they both like to provide layoffs to teammates.

As such, making a move for Simons this summer would allow Maresca to have someone who is just like Wirtz in his squad, for a fraction of the price.

Ahead of the 2024 European Championship, analyst Ben Mattinson lavished plenty of praise on Simons, saying that he is “destined for greatness”, while describing him as a “superstar” who can become “one of the best in the world in the future.”

During that tournament, he scored once and provided three assists as the Netherlands reached the semi-finals.

Simons has starred on the big stage for club and country over the previous three years and should he seal his move to Chelsea, Maresca may just have the final piece of his attacking jigsaw.

Aged just 22, the Dutch starlet is ready to take the next step-up in his career and what better club to do it at than Chelsea.

Wirtz may have made the headlines, but Simons could certainly match his displays next season. Watch this space.

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