Sport
Chelsea transfer news: 5 players they could sign
With the Premier League season over, clubs are turning their attention to incomings and outgoings. One club that is consistently active in the transfer market is Chelsea, who managed to secure Champions League football by the skin of their teeth last season, finishing fourth and just one point above fifth-placed Leicester City. Despite their big-money window last season, purchasing Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell for an accumulative fee of just over £150m, they still will need to spend plenty again to be competitive in the 2021/22 campaign. Here are five players that Chelsea should sign, according to the latest Chelsea transfer news.
Chelsea transfer news: 5 players they could sign this summer
Romelu Lukaku (Inter Milan)
Recently rumours have circulated that the Blues are very keen on bringing their former player Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge. The Belgian forward left the club in 2014 having made just 15 appearances in three years, but the impact he made at loan spells at West Brom and Everton left some fans scratching their heads as to why they let the Anderlecht academy product leave.
Now, eight years later, Lukaku has just won the Serie A with Inter Milan and will be leading the line for Belgium at the Euros. The target man has pace, power and presence, meaning he could easily fill the void in the heart of Thomas Tuchel’s attack. Chelsea must sign a true goalscorer if they are to challenge for the league, especially with Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham both set to leave the London club.
Lukaku scored 24 goals in 36 appearances last season and is in the prime of his career, being 28-years-old. He could cost Roman Abramovich somewhere between £70million and £100million, according to the latest Chelsea transfer news, but it would certainly be money well spent.
Eden Hazard (Real Madrid)
He was desperate to leave for a couple of seasons but now Eden Hazard needs Chelsea more than they need him. The winger lit up the Premier League for the majority of his seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge, often putting the team on his back and carrying them to success.
The 30-year-old hasn’t enjoyed his time in the La Liga so far with Real Madrid, with poor form, injuries and tactical decisions limiting his minutes massively. Now that Real boss Zinedine Zidane has departed, it is unknown whether Hazard will be up for sale or if he will get a second stab at success in Spain. On his day, Hazard remains one of the best wingers in the world; his low centre of gravity, ability with both feet and burst of speed makes him near-impossible to defend.
Chelsea are firmly in the market for a striker, but the addition of a top talent like Hazard is not to be overlooked. His versatility across the frontline could be incredibly useful for Tuchel and he has even played as a striker occasionally too. Despite Madrid paying £103m for the former Lille man, they may be willing to accept an offer in the region of £50m for him and the Chelsea transfer news suggests that they are monitoring the situation.
Declan Rice (West Ham)
Rumours of Chelsea aiming to secure the signature of Declan Rice have circulated for what feels like years, and if the Englishman performs well at Euro 2020 then you can expect to see them floating about again. The holding midfielder guided West Ham to Europa League football recently in a shock season, but whether Rice should be playing at a higher level is the question.
The 22-year-old would be a smart investment by Abramovich as he has the potential to make the defensive midfielder position his own for many years to come, with his boyhood friend Mason Mount also tipped to be a part of the Blues’ future for a while too. Rice was actually released by the Chelsea academy when he was 14, but was soon snapped up by the Hammers and gradually worked his way up the ladder and into the first-team. The midfielder is strong and reads the game well, but he is a very different player to current midfielders Jorginho and N’golo Kante which could cause a shift in their system.
With his age and nationality in mind, Chelsea may have to pay an inflated fee of over £70 million to force a switch from one London club to another. However, David Moyes may demand an even greater price for him given how important he is for the team and their lack of depth in that position.
Paulo Dybala (Juventus)
Despite a lack of Chelsea transfer news suggesting Paulo Dybala is London-bound, bookmakers have placed Chelsea as favourites to secure the signature of the Argentine. The 27-year-old looks set on departing Juventus in the search of regular first-team football after he fell out of favour at the Allianz Stadium, he made only 20 appearances this season which is a significant drop off from the 30+ appearances he has made for Le Zebre in his previous six seasons there.
The former Palermo forward has scored just four goals and assisted three games this season, but that is only in 14 starts. Dybala is incredibly versatile, he can play on either wing, as a second or lone striker and also as an attacking midfielder, and would be a real asset for Chelsea if they were to sign him. The nippy forward is good at breaking through the lines and thrives off of neat interchanges and being given space to cut onto his favoured left foot.
With pressure mounting on Juve to relieve some financial stress, the sale of Dybala would be logical – especially considering his contract runs out in 2022 and he has no intention of continuing contract negotiations. The Argentina international will be on the radar of plenty of clubs so Chelsea will need to act quickly if they see him as a worthwhile signing.
Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan)
At first glance, Chelsea signing their third goalkeeper in four years seems slightly ludicrous. However, signing Gianluigi Donnarumma for zilch would be great business. The Italian shot-stopper is set to leave AC Milan for free this summer and plenty of clubs will be eying him up, the 22-year-old has already made over 200 appearances for his boyhood club after breaking onto the scene at just 16.
In 2018 the Blues forked out £71million to Athletic Bilbao for Kepa Arrizabalaga but the Spaniard has failed to live up to that price tag, with numerous poor showings forcing Chelsea to dip into their pockets again to sign Edouard Mendy last summer. Arguably, Donnarumma is better than both keepers and would walk straight into the first eleven.
The keeper has presence and commands his area well, also, for a tall keeper, he is also very agile and gets down well. Donnarumma captained Milan frequently last season in their second-place finish, so adding another strong voice in what looks a fairly laidback group of players is a massive positive.
Chelsea would need to outdo the offers from Juventus and PSG, who are both reportedly very interested, if they were to secure the exciting prospect but the current transfer news suggests that might be the case.
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