Chelsea are expected to sign a No.10 after agreeing a £40m deal for Alejandro Garnacho of Man Utd
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Tottenham Hotspur are expected to beat Chelsea to the signature of RB Leipzig wonderkid Xavi Simons after a long drawn out transfer saga this summer. The North London side have agreed to pay a figure of worth just over £51m for the Netherlands international, while the 22-year-old has also agreed personal terms with Thomas Frank’s side.
Tottenham’s proposed signing of Simons looks to have ended their long search for a No.10 after missing out on deals for Morgan Gibbs-White of Nottingham Forest as well as new Arsenal recruit Eberechi Eze, whose move from Crystal Palace was hijacked at the eleventh hour. However, it leaves Chelsea still on the hunt for one more player in the central attacking midfield position to provide competition for star man Cole Palmer, who was ruled out of the 5-1 win over West Ham last time out due to injury. With that in mind, we take a look at three potential options that Chelsea could target before deadline day on 1 September.
Morgan Rogers
England international Morgan Rogers enjoyed an electric first full season at Aston Villa which saw him register 30 goal contributions in 54 matches across all competitions. The former Middlesbrough star helped Aston Villa secure a sixth place finish in the league last season, with the club only narrowly missing out on Champions League qualification by goal difference. He also helped Unai Emery’s side reach the quarter-final of the Champions League while also progressing to Wembley by playing in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
Rogers is blessed with exceptional speed, tenacity and versatility to play in numerous positions behind the striker, which in theory means he could both provide cover for Cole Palmer as a No.10 and also on occasion play alongside him in one of the wide roles. Aston Villa are keen to keep Rogers at the club and have insisted he’s not for sale throughout the window. However, fresh reports from Football Insider among others, suggest Rogers could be sold for a figure of around £80m to help aid the club’s PSR situation.
Kobbie Mainoo
Kobbie Mainoo was the talk of the town at the end of the 2023/24 season as he gatecrashed Gareth Southgate’s final England squad at the eleventh hour with a string of stellar performances for Manchester United. Mainoo scored the winner in the 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester City and looked set to become the latest in a long line of success stories from the Carrington academy. He starred for England on a regular basis as they reached the Euro 2024 final and was praised for his energy, athleticism and excellent ability to dictate the midfield.
However, he’s fallen down the pecking order quickly under Ruben Amorim and has reportedly expressed a desire to leave United before the end of the summer window. Mainoo is under contract at Old Trafford until 2027 and is yet to sign an extension with the club which only fuels further speculation about his future.
Chelsea are known for developing young footballers and have been linked with Mainoo, who can cover a number of different central positions, in the past.
Fermin Lopez
Chelsea are believed to be considering a £50m swoop for Barcelona midfielder Fermin Lopez. The 22-year-old is a two-time Spanish international that can play as both a central attacking midfielder and a winger.
He helped Barcelona achieve a league and cup double last term and was also a member of the team which reached the Champions League semi-final. Lopez scored eight times and provided 10 assists last season and also played a peripheral role in helping Spain win Euro 2024 last summer. Overall, he has made 89 appearances for the Spanish heavyweights, including one this season in a 3-2 away victory over Levante. However, it’s suspected that the club could consider offers to help resolve any potential PSR issues.