After signing five players already in the January transfer window, Chelsea are getting to work on a sixth new arrival – and they have been told the deal is possible on one condition.
Chelsea have brought in David Datro Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, Joao Felix and Mykhaylo Mudryk so far this month. Fofana and Felix will bolster Graham Potter’s options at centre-forward, while Mudryk will compete with the likes of Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic for a place out wide.
At 18 years of age, Andrey Santos is unlikely to go straight into the starting lineup at central midfield. But, like Carney Chukwuemeka, he is a great option for Potter to have for the future.
Badiashile, meanwhile, could operate on the left side of a back three in place of Kalidou Koulibaly, who has struggled to effectively replace Antonio Rudiger this season.
Chelsea have spent around £162million on those five stars. But according to recent reports, they will not be stopping there. Chairman Todd Boehly has told Potter he can spend another £100m this month, although it is unclear how Chelsea will do this without getting into trouble with Financial Fair Play.
The next player the Blues are targeting is PSV winger Noni Madueke, who was formerly in the youth setups of Crystal Palace and Tottenham.
The 20-year-old formed a good relationship with Cody Gakpo at PSV, before his switch to Liverpool earlier this month. But Madueke could now follow Gakpo to England as Chelsea hope to engineer a January deal with PSV.
ESPN reveal Chelsea have made a €30m (£26.6m) bid to sign Madueke. However, this has been pushed back by Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team.
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There has now been an update on the Madueke hunt from Sport Witness, who cite journalist Marco Timmer. During an interview with Dutch source Voetbal International, he revealed a deal is there to be done for Boehly, as long as PSV’s demands are met.
“If Chelsea add some money, PSV will proceed to sell. (It depends) how deep the pockets of the new owner are,” Timmer said.
Other sources have claimed PSV’s asking price to sit at €40m (£35m). If this is the case then Chelsea are not too far away.
Boehly has already made clear how ‘deep his pockets are’, as Timmer refers to. The American businessman has sanctioned huge spending since he completed the takeover of the club in May last year.
Due to Boehly’s stance on big transfers, it would not come as a surprise if Chelsea made a £35m bid for Madueke and then brought the England U21 starlet in.
His arrival at Stamford Bridge would surely mean Potter gets rid of Pulisic. The USA international is already facing new competition for a starting spot from Mudryk, so Madueke joining too would lessen his game time even more.
Once there is a conclusion to Chelsea’s hunt for Madueke, the west London side will try to find an agreement with Real Madrid for young centre-half Rafa Marin.
Chelsea recruitment chiefs believe Marin has a bright future. And with his Real contract expiring in the summer, a deal could be agreed for between £5m and £10m this month.
