The Chelsea 4-4 draw with Manchester City was about as entertaining a match as you will ever see. All that entertainment and excitement was the perfect send-off as we are now in the midst of another dull international break. Time for some Chelsea FC transfer talk, and today we cover FC Barcelona forward Raphinha, Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Chelsea team captain Reece James.
Let’s start with Raphinha, who Chelsea came very close to signing at Stamford Bridge the last time that he was on the market.
Obviously, he opted for the Catalan Club instead (moving over from Leeds United in the summer of 2022 for €60 million), but apparently the southwest London club will be back for him this summer.
That’s according to Sport, who report that Newcastle United are also targeting the 26-year-old Brazilian.
A bidding war could erupt for the former Leeds man!
Elsewhere Reece James is finally match fit again, for more than just a game or two, after suffering through a very injury-riddled stretch. When he’s healthy, his quality shows and that attracts potential suitors, including Real Madrid and Manchester City, reports 90min.
However, he wants to stay at the Bridge, the article goes on to say. If a deal is actually struck for James, the final transfer fee could cost north of €80 million.
And finally, Chelsea club legend John Obi Mikel desperately wants Napoli striker Victor Osimhen to make the move to Stamford Bridge.
He wants his fellow Nigerian to make the move so badly that he’s actually willing to broker the deal himself. He said so today, on the latest edition his very cleverly named “The Obi One Podcast” (linked here).
Osimhen has to move on from Napoli, considering how they have treated him publicly, and Chelsea makes good sense for him.
Club legend Didier Drogba is someone that he both idolizes and has often been compared to.
Not to mention the fact that Osimhen disclosed on the show that he owned a Chelsea kit as a kid.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.