Julian Nagelsmann has decided which Premier League team he will be joining after Chelsea sacked Graham Potter and joined Tottenham in the race for him, Arsenal hope to take a Real Madrid attacker off Carlo Ancelotti’s hands, while Monday’s Transfer Gossip claims Inter Milan want another Chelsea forward to replace Romelu Lukaku.
EX-BAYERN BOSS MAKES PREM DECISION
Julian Nagelsmann has made it known where he hopes to be managing in the near future, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that he is the ‘favourite’ to take over at one London club and another source revealing he ‘wants’ one move only.
The German became a target for Tottenham after being sacked by Bayern Munich on March 24. Tottenham have been in the market for a new head coach ever since letting Antonio Conte go.
However, Spurs now have a big new rival in the chase for Nagelsmann’s services. On Sunday, Chelsea announced the departure of Graham Potter.
Club chiefs Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali thanked Potter for his contribution at Stamford Bridge. Ultimately, though, results under the 47-year-old had not been good enough, with Saturday’s 2-0 loss to Aston Villa leaving Chelsea in 11th place and 12 points off the top four.
As would be expected, there has already been plenty of talk about whether Chelsea could gazump Spurs and land Nagelsmann first. And there has now been an important double update on the tactician’s next team.
Romano reveals that Chelsea have already approached Nagelsmann about replacing Potter. They have decided on him as their ‘favourite’ candidate.
In a separate tweet, Romano stated that Chelsea are yet to open compensation talks with Bayern, although that could happen soon. Nagelsmann is still technically on Bayern’s books as he was released rather than sacked, which means he will continue on their payroll until he finds another club.
Chelsea are also admirers of Ruben Amorim, who guided Sporting Lisbon to the 2020-21 Primeira Liga title. However, Nagelsmann is the ‘top candidate’ to take charge in west London.
Julian Nagelsmann moves closer to Chelsea switch
To make matters worse for Spurs, the Evening Standard report that Nagelsmann ‘wants’ to become Chelsea boss. It is also revealed that Chelsea sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart will lead the search for a new manager, rather than chairman Boehly.
However, there is one potential stumbling block on Chelsea’s path to appointing Nagelsmann. It is understood that he would like to take a break from the game and join a new club in the summer, in order to give him some time to reflect on his spell at Bayern.
But Chelsea would likely want to bring Nagelsmann in straight away. When announcing Potter’s sacking, Boehly and Eghbali made it clear how desperate they are to make this season a success, despite the club’s poor league position.
Therefore, Nagelsmann wanting to wait until the end of the season before returning to management could prove to be a problem. It will have to be sorted out when Chelsea begin official talks with the 35-year-old, as they have only made preliminary approaches so far.
ARSENAL WANT REAL MADRID PLAYER
Arsenal have a ‘strong interest’ in Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio as the player is out of the contract this summer, according to a report.
Asensio has been on Real’s books since 2015. He has made 270 appearances for the Spanish giants, scoring 57 goals and helping them to win illustrious trophies such as the Champions League and La Liga.
But the wide man, who prefers to operate on the right side of attack, is considering his future and could leave Real on a free transfer.
On March 17, TEAMtalk exclusively revealed that Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City will all offer Asensio the chance to play in the Premier League if he refuses to agree fresh Real terms.
While Asensio is not always in Carlo Ancelotti’s starting eleven, he remains a very talented forward who also has experience at the highest level. Due to this, he could be a shrewd capture for one of Arsenal, Chelsea or City.
And according to Italian journalist Niccolo Ceccarini, there is a good chance the Spaniard will end up at Arsenal. In his column for Tuttomercatoweb, Ceccarini reveals that the Gunners have a ‘strong interest’ in Asensio.
There is also interest from AC Milan. But Arsenal’s financial muscle, plus the fact they are aiming to win the Premier League crown, means they could blow Milan away.
Asensio has not yet decided on his next destination. He has only ever played in Spain before, so a move to the Prem could prove enticing for him.
As stated earlier, the 27-year-old mainly plays at right wing, which means he would have to compete with Bukayo Saka for a starting spot under Mikel Arteta.
Asensio could struggle to get into the Arsenal starting lineup given the fact Saka is one of their best players. But Asensio can also operate on the left flank, or down the middle as a central attacking midfielder. Therefore, he could get more game time in other positions.
INTER TO REPLACE LUKAKU WITH CHELSEA MAN?
After Romelu Lukaku’s disappointing return to Inter Milan, it would be a surprise if the Serie A giants ever want to deal with Chelsea again.
The striker has returned to Inter on loan for the season after failing to meet expectations at Chelsea. But his woes have continued in Italy, with injuries limiting him to 20 appearances so far.
Even when Lukaku has been available for selection, he has not been in great form. Only five goals and one assist have come his way in those 20 matches.
Lukaku would love to make his Inter loan permanent in the summer as he does not want to go back to Chelsea. He is even willing to vastly reduce his wages to make the move a reality.
Inter are aware of the player’s desire. But even if the 29-year-old agrees a pay cut, Inter will still struggle to meet Chelsea’s demands in terms of a transfer fee.
Therefore, the Nerazzurri are looking at potential replacements for Lukaku up front. And surprisingly, they are eyeing up another raid on Chelsea after landing on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as a potential signing.
According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Inter are interested in Aubameyang and believe he will be far easier to sign than Lukaku.
The main reason for this is that Chelsea would prefer to offload him to Inter than Barcelona. The Blues do not want Aubameyang to return to the Nou Camp after he tried to force through such a transfer in the January window.
The Gabon international has had a tough campaign, just like Lukaku. He played just once under Thomas Tuchel for Chelsea after following the manager to west London, only for Tuchel to get sacked soon afterwards.
Tuchel’s replacement, Potter, preferred to select the likes of Kai Havertz and Joao Felix in attack, leaving Aubameyang to warm the bench in most games.
Chelsea are now hoping to appoint Nagelsmann as Potter’s replacement, but it is unlikely this will result in Aubameyang getting his chance.
He is bound to leave Chelsea at the end of the season, it is now just a case of where he ends up, with both Inter and Barca plotting moves.
