GIVEMESPORT transfer expert Dean Jones shares his latest inside information...
Raheem Sterling has been won over by Chelsea’s promise of an integral role in their exciting new set-up - and the club’s attacking style in the transfer market will be mirrored in the way they plan to play next season.
Thomas Tuchel is finally being able to put his mark on the team in terms of personnel this summer and as such some sources indicate it would not even be a surprise to see him land Sterling and Ousmane Dembele (or an alternative) as well as Raphinha.
The message the club are sending out across football is that new owner Todd Boehly makes things happen. He is being very pro-active in terms of transfers - literally making calls himself to high ranking executives to propose transfer deals.
GiveMeSport Transfer Update With Dean Jones
Chelsea’s targeting of new attackers is also a message to their squad from last season that the output simply was not good enough. Romelu Lukaku already learned that Tuchel will not bow to player pressure and change the philosophy of his playing style in order to accommodate talent and as such barely any of the forwards still at the club can feel comfortable going into next season.
Kai Havertz can count on his spot but Timo Werner, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson-Odoi scored 29 goals between them last season and such output will no longer be accepted as the club aim to push closer to competing with Liverpool and Manchester City.
Sterling’s goal output is a key reason behind his pursuit and they are convincing him they can match his needs in terms of ambition and finances. He will also get more game time than he got at Manchester City last season, which was a key factor in him considering his future.
Sterling, who has netted 131 times for the Premier League champions, has indicated he is keen on the move to Chelsea, according to sources, and the Blues seem confident they can close the deal.
Meanwhile, the dynamism and creativity of Raphinha and Dembele, who has 32 goals for Barca, was identified as a way to bring the team new life.
The Blues are edging towards the Raphinha deal and thought they were close to a breakthrough on Dembele a few weeks back, but were forced to wait out on his contract decision at Barcelona. The fact Dembele and Raphinha are both involved in talks with Barcelona is interesting but Chelsea will capitalise on any further hesitancy.
If Neymar’s situation at PSG continues to look unsettled he may even become another player they are willing to consider, but that is not yet the case.
Raheem Sterling to Chelsea is ON! Hear more on The Football Terrace...
Chelsea line up Borna Sosa deal
Croatian defender Borna Sosa is a player Chelsea continue to look at signing when they move onto addressing other areas of the squad rebuild.
With Stuttgart he has shown very good ability at left-back but also a vision that he can be forward thinking when given license to do so.
It’s an element that interests Chelsea and a situation they will consider visiting during this transfer window.
The future of Marcos Alonso remains unclear, as does that of Emerson Palmieri, but Ben Chilwell will return to the first-team frame next season after making just seven appearances last term due to injury.
Oleksandr Zinchenko has also been on the radar but the player is intimating that he wants to play in midfield if he is to switch clubs.
The centre of Chelsea’s defence remains a major focus as they target Matthijs De Ligt, Kalidou Koulibaly, Jules Kounde and Nathan Ake but this is a busy summer window with many fixes needed.