Finally, Chelsea fans had an exciting couple of weeks when it comes to reliable transfer news. The club is strengthening the much-needed position in the squad which is a positive sign and just as we thought, the window is not being too crazy. Pep Guardiola, in a press conference in April, claimed that “Manchester City will not buy an expensive striker.” He wasn’t lying (not yet at least), but now the blue half of Manchester has just coughed up a British record fee of £100 million for England international Jack Grealish.
In other news, Manchester United continues to have an impressive transfer window after announcing the deal for Raphael Varane in principle from Real Madrid. The French defender will bring in much-needed stability to the back line and this deal might very well be the deal of the summer. Arsenal confirmed the signing of England defender Ben White from Brighton & Hove Albion for £50 million. The preseason for Chelsea ends on a high after winning The Mind Series after Tottenham Hotspur defeated Arsenal 1-0. Preseason for the Blues has been pretty impressive with a whole host of changes in every game, giving every player a chance to impress the German coach.
Players like Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah seem to have impressed the manager the most, but even after this, face uncertain short-term futures. Chelsea concluded its preseason with an indoor 11-a-side match on Saturday. Apart from indoor matches, the club played four friendlies, winning three and drawing the last one against Tottenham Hotspur in The Mind Series. Having missed the last week’s edition of Chelsea transfer roundup, this article will also include all the last week’s deals.
Therefore, without any more delays, here’s the fourth installment of Chelsea transfer roundup, confirming a couple of signings for the club and the loan deals for promising young players:
1. Chelsea agrees £97.5 million deal for Romelu Lukaku
After conceding defeat in the attempt to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland, Chelsea has acted fast and has almost completed a deal with Inter Milan for Romelu Lukaku. On 7 August 2021, David Ornstein of The Athletic confirmed that an agreement had been reached between Chelsea and Inter for £97.5 million. The club was willing to offer players like Davide Zappacosta or Emerson Palmieri, but Inter was only interested in a cash-only deal. The west London club is looking to sign the Belgian striker before the UEFA Super Cup game, which takes place on Wednesday.
It is said that Lukaku will undergo his medical in the coming days and hopefully be announced on Tuesday. Whenever this deal is completed, it will start a domino effect in the transfer window. If Chelsea completes the deal for Lukaku, Inter will target to sign Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata. Keeping this in mind, Atalanta’s board has scheduled a meeting with the Blues for the transfer of English striker Tammy Abraham. The price tag for Abraham is set around the £34 million mark with Atalanta being the front runner for his signature. Other teams like Arsenal, West Ham United and AS Roma are also interested in his signature.
This deal will definitely strengthen the club and give it a clinical goal scorer. Contesting in several tournaments and fighting for a number of trophies, Lukaku seems like a perfect fit. A player with a lot of experience, someone who can play with his back to goal, and a clinical finisher scoring more than 30 goals for the past two seasons. This is everything a club like Chelsea needs who create a lot of chances, but this deal pushes players like Abraham out of the club, which benefits both the club and the player.