Welcome to the summer silly season! Chelsea FC were essentially “champions” of this competition, last time out, as they outspent the rest of the world, by a considerable margin, in the last summer transfer window.
Expect Owner Roman Abramovich to greenlight another summer spending spree this time around, so let’s dive straight in with the latest Blues transfer news and notes. This edition begins with talk about a potential blockbuster deal with Inter Milan, one that would see two Blues going the other way. (For a look at the Chelsea players at Euro 2020 go here)
According to Sky Sports Italia, Chelsea are reportedly ahead of Paris Saint-Germain in the pursuit of Inter Milan wing back Achraf Hakimi. The reigning Serie A champions are about to commence a summer sell off, one that could be rather drastic, and that’s reportedly why Antonio Conte decided to leave.
Hakimi will be a big part of this fire sale as Internazionale look to balance the books. Paris Saint-Germain reportedly offered €60m for the right back, but that’s apparently not enough, as the San Siro have a valuation nearer to €75m.
They are also interested in Chelsea’s Italian full back Emerson Palmieri, and central defender Andreas Christensen. It remains to be seen whether or not Chelsea will meet Inter’s asking price, so they could make their two coveted defenders part of the deal.
Inter would rather do the Palmieri deal on loan, but Chelsea are hoping for the transfer to be permanent.
Other reports claim Inter want “only cash,” as they would want to do any deal for a Chelsea player separately. So there is plenty left to sort out here.
Now for the latest on Erling Haaland, the song of the summer in the transfer market. According to various reports it just comes down to how much Chelsea really want the Norwegian, and that it’s up to owner Roman Abramovich himself. Chelsea are reportedly reluctant to spend over £150 million on the scoring sensation.
That’s what it would likely cost, as it’s going to take crazy stupid money to convince Borussia Dortmund to actually sell him this summer. Chelsea might just want to wait until next summer, when Haaland’s release clause is understood to be £68 million.
It might just come down to how bad the club wants him, and if so, then it’s going to take Abramovic himself to sanction the deal.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank, partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Tribune and SB Nation. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.