Chelsea activate plan to sign £50m man after failed Maunel Ugarte transfer
Chelsea were pushing on all fronts to sign Manuel Ugarte from Sporting CP but they have now conceded as PSG have won the race and the Uruguayan can be considered as a new PSG player. CFC have now turned their attention to other midfield targets with Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia being the plan B.
Make no mistake, CFC are very much in the race for Brighton midfielder Moises Caicedo. He is not an alternative to Ugarte but a priority and Chelsea will make a move for him in the coming days. The Ecuadorian is also admired by Arsenal but the Blues seem in front to sign the 21 year old midfielder.
N’Golo Kante has agreed to a move to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad. The Frenchman was in the final month of his Chelsea deal and a new contract hadn’t been signed. At one stage, the extension was close but the questions continued to linger over his signature. Saudi PIF delegation along with Al Ittihad board presented a mouthwatering offer to Kante, which would see him earn €100 million per season in Saudi Arabia. Blown away by the offer, Kante decided to leave as a free agent and has completed a move to the Saudi club.
Chelsea target Romeo Lavia as N’Golo Kante replacement
Now, CFC need to find a replacement to the Frenchman. According to football.london, the West London club has opened talks with Southampton for Lavia. With Southampton going down to the Championship, a fire sale is expected this summer where the Saints could lose some of their best talents like Lavia, James Ward-Prowse, Kamaldeen Sulemana, Armel Bella-Kotchap and many others.
Lavia arrived from Manchester City last summer and has impressed in the Saints midfield. Despite Southampton failing collectively as a unit, Lavia put in tremendous performances that have got many clubs wondering if they can sign this wonder kid this summer. Chelsea will undergo a midfield revolution this summer and Lavia is expected to partner Enzo Fernandez and Caicedo in the middle of the park.
Brighton have slapped a massive price tag of £80 million on Caicedo and Southampton are also hopeful of pocketing a large fee for the Belgian. According to Metro, the Saints will ask for around £50 million for Lavia. With Mateo Kovacic also close to leaving Stamford Bridge and Ruben Loftus-Cheek linked with a move to AC Milan, midfield reinforcements need to come quickly for Chelsea.
Next. 4 players Chelsea will look to sell in the summer transfer window. dark
How much should CFC pay for Romeo Lavia?