Chelsea set to pull off another major hijack as Blues prepare bid for £75m-rated star

Reports in England claim Chelsea are plotting another raid on the Bundesliga with a move for Bayer Leverkusen starlet Kai Havertz.

Expected to seal the £53m transfer of RB Leipzig centre forward Timo Werner when the transfer window opens, Chelsea also want a young wide player to replace the outgoing Brazilian Willian and Spaniard Pedro.

The Sportsmail report that 20-year-old Havertz is the player they want, even though they will face fierce competition from other top European clubs.

Havertz has scored five times in four games since the resumption of the Bundesliga and is on the radar of Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Chelsea will have to spend heavily to win the race, with Havertz’s market value sitting north of £75m and the player under contract until 2022. They have already spent £38m on attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech of Ajax.

But the London club are determined to claw back ground on their rivals they feel they lost while under transfer embargo last summer.

Former Chelsea star tells Koulibaly why he should not join Man United, suggests Chelsea or Liverpool instead

Frank Lebeouf has warned Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly not to join Manchester United if he wants to win trophies.

The Red Devils reportedly offered €80m for Koulibaly last week, in a strong signal of their intentions, but Leboeuf insists the Red Devils are ‘not ready’ to satisfy the Senegalese’s thirst for silverware.

The former Chelsea and France defender told ESPN FC that: “I will never ask him to go to Manchester United for many reasons.

“I want him to win some stuff and I think Manchester United is not the club that they used to be and they’re not ready to win stuff.”

Instead, the 52-year-old advised his fellow stopper to sign for Liverpool or his former club.

“I think Liverpool would be a good fit with [Virgil] van Dijk, that would be fantastic.

“Paris Saint-Germain as well with Marquinhos, there would be two great central defenders.

“I think Chelsea will need a player like that. I don’t know if Koulibaly will be interested, but even if they have two very good central defenders, Koulibaly I think belongs to another level and would fit very well.

“I know he has a link with Liverpool, Van Dijk and Koulibaly at the back – my God, that’s going to be another Red season I guess.

“You have to make a choice at certain points. The question was ‘what is the best fit for Koulibaly?’ and definitely with Van Dijk, and when you’re a defender like Koulibaly, that would be the best central defence in the world.”

Antonio Conte wants reunion with former Chelsea star, Inter Milan commence transfer talks

Inter Milan are reportedly in talks with Atletico Madrid regarding a potential move for former Juventus forward Alvaro Morata.

Morata has been on loan from the Blues this season and is set for a permanent move to Atleti in July.

Football Italia report that Nerazzurri target and Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani looks set for a move to Atletico Madrid when his current deal in France expires, meaning that Morata could become available this summer.

Inter are, according to Tuttosport, already in talks with the Spanish giants, who could be willing to let the Spain international move back to Serie A.

Morata, who has scored 17 goals in 33 appearances for Spain, has previously worked under Antonio Conte at both Juventus and Chelsea and could be tempted to reunite with the tactician in Milan.

Inter are reportedly preparing for life after Lautaro Martinez and the newspaper claims contact has been established between Los Colchoneros and the Nerazzurri.

REVEALED: Why Frank Lampard clashed with Chelsea Board over Timo Werner

Fresh information has emerged that it’s not all smooth sailing at Stamford Bridge as Chelsea are on the verge of completing RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner’s move.

Chelsea have triggered Werner’s £53million release clause but that was not fully supported behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.

Head coach Frank Lampard and technical advisor Petr Cech were pushing the Chelsea hierarchy to pursue a deal for Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, report the Daily Express.

The Gabon international is in the final 12 months of his contract in north London and could be available on the cheap.

Chelsea had an enquiry about Aubameyang rejected in January but the Gunners are more open to selling their captain at the end of the season.

The 31-year-old was top of Lampard’s shortlist, according to The Athletic’s Ornstein & Chapman podcast.

However, the Blues board had concerns over the lack of re-sale value and therefore turned their attention to Werner.

The Leipzig attacker was also on Lampard’s wishlist but it is claimed he would have preferred a goalscorer with proven Premier League pedigree like Aubameyang.

The Athletic say the Chelsea board went ahead with their own ideas and offered Werner a £200,000-a-week contract.

Lampard is still keen to add Werner to his ranks and has promised the 24-year-old he will be a key part of his plans.

Pedro draws battle-line against Chelsea chiefs over contract extension

There are reports in England that Pedro is causing some concern among Stamford Bridge chiefs as the Spaniard is said to be holding out on signing a short-term deal to help the club through the remainder of the Premier League season.

The winger will become a free agent from July 1, a problem many clubs up and down the English football league ladder face.

But the 32-year-old is holding out on putting pen to paper in solidarity with team-mate Willian who will also become a free agent from July 1.

The campaign is set to resume on June 17 but the season will run over that free agent deadline with Chelsea hoping their out-of-contract players will sign a temporary deal to finish the season at the very least.

The battle to finish in the top four remains a top priority for Chelsea and they’ll want all their players available to them in order to achieve Champions League qualification.

Both Pedro and Willian though can cause a big problem for Frank Lampard should they refuse to sign a temporary deal.

Willian in particular has been a regular in Chelsea’s starting line-up this season but he has so far refused to commit beyond June 30.

And Willian’s reluctance to stay at Chelsea beyond this month has led to some trepidation from Pedro about being the first of those players out of contract to sign a temporary deal.

A Blues source told The Sun: “Pedro is ready to play on. He knows he is pretty much certain of leaving Chelsea at the end of this season.

“He wants to do the right thing by the club too after a long time there and see the season out.

“But equally, he does not want to be the first one who signs before his pals have done the same.