Chelsea appear ready to complete another transfer and offload a senior player following the acquisition of promising talents Jorrel Hato and Xavi Simons, in addition to the departure of Joao Felix. Despite Felix only joining the Blues last summer, he has expedited his exit by securing a move to the Saudi Pro League, with Al-Nassr confirming his arrival on Tuesday.
The sale of Felix is expected to bring in at least £26.2 million (€30 million) for Chelsea, facilitating the capture of highly-rated Dutch prospects Simons and Hato. This financial boon is supplemented by an impressive £150 million garnered from their Club World Cup success and the transfers of Noni Madueke to Arsenal and Djorde Petrovic to Bournemouth.
Chelsea have strategically positioned themselves to sign two of the Netherlands’ most coveted young talents. Negotiations for Ajax defender Hato were initiated earlier, and a deal reported to be in excess of €40 million (£34.7 million) has now been finalised, according to The Athletic.
Attention will now turn to securing Simons, who reportedly has his sights set on a switch to Stamford Bridge. After training with RB Leipzig in recent weeks, the 22-year-old finds himself in an advantageous position compared to many of Chelsea’s current players, including Hato.
Although Chelsea have recently bolstered their attacking options with the additions of Pedro, Delap, and Gittens, manager Enzo Maresca may yet have further reinforcements on the horizon. According to talkSPORT, Chelsea remain keen on acquiring Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho. The promising Argentine is expected to leave Old Trafford this summer, with Chelsea reigniting their interest after two bids were rejected during the January transfer window, as per Football.London.
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