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Chelsea have begun the process of cutting down their squad ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Bashir Humphreys is expected to leave the club in the coming days, as per Fabrizio Romano.
The 21-year-old has attracted interest from the Bundesliga and the Championship after spending last season with Swansea on loan.
Humphreys’ last Blues appearance came in a League Cup victory over AFC Wimbledon in August 2023.
It’s reported both Leeds United and Burnley are currently exploring a deal for the defender.
Manchester United are closing in on a double transfer swoop worth £51.5million for Bayern Munich pair Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.
According to The Athletic, De Ligt is set to undergo a medical at Carrington ahead of a transfer worth £39m plus £4m in add-ons.
Once Aaron Wan-Bissaka completes his £15m move to West Ham United, Mazraoui will be free to become the fourth signing of the INEOS era.
He will land at Old Trafford for an initial £13m plus £4m in add-ons.
De Ligt arrived at Bayern after a spell at Juventus. He also has Bundesliga and Serie A title medals. Fans of the German club were so unhappy when it was revealed that Ten Hag was trying to tempt him to Manchester that a petition to keep him in Munich gathered more than 20,000 signatures.
Mazraoui was born in the Netherlands but decided to represent Morocco at international level. He courted controversy last October when he shared a Pro-Palestine video on social media. The full-back eventually issued an apology and insisted he opposed all terrorism, hatred and violence.
Harry Kane described Dominic Solanke as a ‘great player’ after his move to Tottenham was confirmed on Saturday. Kane returned to north London to face his former club in a friendly over the weekend, with Bayern Munich securing a 3-2 victory in a closely-fought affair.
The match took place just hours after Solanke was confirmed as Tottenham’s latest signing, having joined from Bournemouth in a deal worth up to £65million. Spurs will pay an initial £55m with £10m in add-ons for the 26-year-old, who has signed a contract until 2030.
After the final whistle, Kane was asked if he thought Solanke would be a good fit to step into his former striking role at Tottenham and offered a glowing review.
“Yeah, he should be great,” the England skipper told Sky Sports. “Dom is a great player and plays with high intensity and high speed, For sure, he’s going to get chances in this team with the way Ange [Postecoglou] plays. You saw that today, two top teams going at it.
“I think it’s a really good signing. I’ve seen him in the dressing room there and I just wished him all the best and of course I hope he has a great season.”
Tottenham have struggled to replace Kane since he joined Bayern Munich, with the forwards they signed last summer yet to show their full potential. They will be hoping for Solanke to fill that void as they seek a return to the Premier League’s top four this season.
Solanke was in the stands to watch his new team-mates against Bayern Munich and will start training with the group next week. He will be desperate to maintain his prolific form after scoring 21 goals in 42 games for Bournemouth across all competitions last season.
Speaking to Tottenham’s official channels after his move was confirmed, Solanke said: “To sign for a club like Tottenham is everything I’ve wanted, really. It’s a magnificent club, a huge club with ambitions that match mine so I’m delighted to start and meet all the boys.
“What excites me most about the club is how ambitious it is. It has a great manager, great players and I feel like it suits my style of play as well, so I can’t wait to get started and do my stuff on the pitch.
“I think the club has got great depth throughout the squad, the attacking options are great and I think that’s what a top club needs so I’m really looking forward to playing with those players, competing with them and hopefully we can achieve great things.”
Photo Credit: SpursOfficial/ X
Victor Osimhen has handed in a transfer request at Napoli.
He was not even on the bench for Napoli in what was their first competitve game under Antonio Conte as they defeated Modena in domestic Coppa Italia.
The Nigeria international has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea and has been left out of pre-season preparations by Antonio Conte. His desire to leave is now official.
Napoli sporting director Giovanni Manna said: “Victor Osimhen has asked to leave the club. He wants to go. The situation is clear, there were already chances for his exit last summer. Victor wants to leave. We will see in the next 20 days.”
It is understood that the preference from Naples is for Osimhen to find a new club as they look to try and sign Romelu Lukaku.
Chelsea are on the brink of securing the signature of the so-called ‘new Thibaut Courtois’, but Enzo Maresca’s chances of using him have already been slashed.
It’s been a hectic summer at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea having picked up where they’ve left off in previous windows by welcoming a whole host of new names.
Not that Chelsea fans will be getting too familiar with most of them anytime soon.
One of the latest is Mike Penders, who is close to putting pen to paper on a move to Chelsea from Genk.
Chelsea are reportedly paying the Belgian outfit a fee in the region of £17million, with Penders having been dubbed the ‘new Thibaut Courtois’ by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
But, considering Penders isn’t due to link up with the Chelsea squad until the end of the 2024/25 season, current boss Maresca might not even cross paths with the talented teenage shot-stopper.
Of the four managers – both permanent and interim – Todd Boehly and co. have hired since their takeover, only one, the recently departed Mauricio Pochettino, lasted the full season in charge.
Chelsea could address their defensive concerns heading into the Premier League season by offering a swap deal involving out-of-favour defender Trevoh Chalobah, according to the Express.
The 25-year-old has been exiled from the first-team squad and is currently training with the Under-21s, having been omitted from the Blues’ pre-season tour of the USA.
As an academy graduate, the club know that selling Chalobah will boost their chances of adhering to the league’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR) for 2024-25. He is rated between £25million and £30million, given his long-term contract doesn’t expire until 2028, but there aren’t many clubs willing to meet their demands.
Chelsea are keen to offload Chalobah with interest from Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest. Chalobah has begrudgingly accepted his future lies away from Stamford Bridge and would like to join Inter Milan.
But the west London club may have other plans for their versatile player, with interest in Palace defender Marc Guehi growing ahead of his likely summer exit.
They have previously been interested in signing their academy graduate Guehi back from Palace after selling him in a £20m deal back in 2021. Guehi’s stock has risen significantly since he moved to Selhurst Park and is now valued at £65m by his club.
As part of the transfer that saw the 23-year-old swap west London for the southern part of the capital, Chelsea are in line to receive 20 per cent of the profit on Guehi’s next move.
With Newcastle ready to launch a £60m bid for the England international, £10m of that fee would go directly into their bank account.
It would leave Palace with £50m to replace their star defender and make signings in other areas, which offers a far from ideal situation for Oliver Glasner, who has already lost Michael Olise this summer.
And that is why a swap deal involving Chalobah and a sizeable sum payable by Chelsea could appeal to both teams. Enzo Maresca won’t need telling that signing a top defender would require a huge chunk of his transfer budget, and they are eager to get rid of Chalobah.
Guehi wants a move this summer and there are doubts as to whether Newcastle could afford him. But if Chelsea get involved in the race, it could offer a solution where all three parties get what they want.