Chelsea have done a great job in this transfer window. On one hand, they have signed players like Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Jorrel Hato. On the other hand, they have successfully parted with a number of players who were not in the manager’s long-term plans. The club are still active in the market and looking to close a few more deals, one of them being the pursuit of Xavi Simons.
It is a deal that has been in the news for quite some time now. Chelsea fans have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Dutch international, with the player himself expressing a desire to play in the Royal Blues jersey on multiple occasions.
Although there have been uncharacteristic delays in completing the signing, the general consensus was that the player would end up at Stamford Bridge. However, that may no longer be the case if reports are to be believed, as another Premier League club has entered the race and could hand Chelsea a major setback in their efforts to sign Simons.
According to Florian Plettenberg, Tottenham have now officially submitted an offer to RB Leipzig for Simons. It is already close to the offer that the German club are expecting, €70 million all-in. No offer from Chelsea yet.
Tottenham trying to hijack Chelsea’s move to sign Xavi Simons
If Chelsea’s London rivals do manage to swoop in and sign Simons, it would be a major failure on the part of the Blues' management. They have kept this deal in the oven for far too long. The club have already lost several targets in the past due to similar delays in getting deals over the line.
Simons has already agreed personal terms with Chelsea. However, in modern football, nothing is guaranteed until the signature is on the paper.
Chelsea will be reminded of that if Tottenham manage to sign the Dutchman right from under their noses. The next few days will be crucial in deciding the player’s future and which side of London he ends up joining.
Chelsea have managed to agree a deal for Christopher Nkunku recently though, with the Frenchman headed for AC Milan. One would hope that that opens up the window of opportunity for the Blues to finally swoop in and get this Simons transfer over the line.