Chelsea attain broad settlement with £61m “game-changer”

Whereas they may not have spent the really huge sums of cash they’ve in home windows previous, Chelsea have nonetheless been busy out there this summer season.

As issues stand, the Convention League champions’ standout signings are Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens, and they’re set to safe the extremely rated Jorrel Hato any day now.

Nevertheless, for all of the sensible offers they have been capable of recover from the road, they needed to watch Liverpool get their fingers on the free-scoring Hugo Ekitiké, who was touted for a transfer to Stamford Bridge earlier within the window.

Fortuitously, if reviews are to be believed, the West Londoners might be closing in on a participant who might be their very own model of the French attacker.

Chelsea goal their very own Ekitike

Now, whereas a lot has already occurred this summer season, and it’s typically exhausting to maintain observe of each deal and hearsay, it is true that Chelsea had been linked with Ekitike at a number of factors in direction of the beginning of the window.

Nevertheless, with the Blues clearly specializing in different, extra urgent targets, and sure not being fairly as as some tales steered they had been, Liverpool stole a march on them and secured the Frenchman’s services for a payment of round £69m.

Apparently, whereas the previous Eintracht Frankfurt star is now clearly now not accessible, the West Londoners do seem like they’re closing in on one other attacking gem who might be their model of him.

A minimum of that’s in response to a current report from German outlet Bild, which reaffirms Chelsea’s intense curiosity within the proficient Xavi Simons.

The report goes a step additional, revealing that the Blues have now reached a broad settlement on phrases with the participant himself, and whereas they’ve not made an official supply to RB Leipzig simply but, it is believed the German outfit are holding out for a payment of €70m, which is about £61m.

It might be an costly switch to recover from the road, however given Simons’ means and potential, it will be price it, particularly as he might be their very own Ekitike.

Why Simons might be Chelsea’s personal Ekitike

Now, the very first thing to say is that whereas Simons is an extremely versatile participant and somebody who has made a couple of appearances up prime, he isn’t a centre-forward like Ekitike, however there are nonetheless a number of causes the previous might be Chelsea’s model of the latter.

Firstly, the younger Dutchman would even be making his approach to a ‘huge six’ facet within the Premier League from a Bundesliga facet outdoors the normal huge two in Leipzig, equally to how the Frenchman’s shifting to Merseyside from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Second, each gamers are making their strikes at comparable ages, with the midfield maestro being simply 22 and the thrilling centre-forward simply turning 23 years outdated.

The final considerably surface-level similarity is the truth that each of them hung out taking part in for Paris Saint-Germain.

Simons joined the French facet’s youth system in 2019 after which left and rejoined over the following years till his transfer to Leipzig was made everlasting this January, whereas the brand new Liverpool star joined the Parisians in July 2022, after which left for Germany on a everlasting deal two years later.

Lastly, whereas the previous PSV Eindhoven dynamo is unlikely to match the 22 objectives in 48 video games Ekitike scored final season at Stamford Bridge because of the place he tends to play in, he nonetheless has the power to be an attacking tour de pressure, and will assist flip video games on their head for Maresca and Co.

For instance, in simply 33 appearances final season, totalling 2763 minutes, the Amsterdam-born “game-changer,” as dubbed by expertise scout Jacek Kulig, scored 11 objectives and offered eight assists.

In different phrases, the sensational expertise, who one analyst has dubbed “among the best 10s on the earth,” managed to common a purpose involvement each 1.73 video games, or each 144 minutes.

Finally, whereas it would not be low cost, Chelsea ought to be doing what they will to deliver Simons to West London this summer season, as he might add some actual high quality to their assault and be a solution to Ekitike.