Chelsea are going to be busy until the final seconds of the transfer market despite wrapping up a deal for Joao Felix, which has seen the playmaker head to Stamford Bridge on a six-year contract which includes a 12-month extension option.
The move sees the Portugal international re-join the Blues having spent six months on loan in west London in 2023. An agreement was reached for in the region of €50m, and Atletico Madrid have a sell-on clause believed to be 20 per cent.
The move means Conor Gallagher has completed his own move in the opposite direction for €42m. The midfielder was waiting in London to see if the LaLiga giants could raise the funds to finalise his transfer, having already passed a medical.
The England midfielder has left his boyhood club, where he had been since he was six, and has signed a five-year contract. Gallagher will be officially unveiled on Wednesday and both clubs have already confirmed his transfer.
Felix is Chelsea’s 11th senior signing this summer, including Estevao Willian, who will join from Palmeiras in the summer of 2025 after the Club World Cup.
The latest addition to head coach Enzo Maresca’s squad spells bad news for Raheem Sterling, who was excluded from the matchday squad for the Premier League opener against Manchester City and is set to play no part in the Blues’ Europa Conference League clash with Swiss side Servette on Thursday.
Sterling began pre-season wanting to stay at Stamford Bridge, and felt he had a positive pre-season, but his high wages, coupled with the fact Felix, Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku and even Nicolas Jackson are all options in his position, means Chelsea deem him surplus to requirements. Maresca made this clear on Friday last week in a one-on-one chat with Sterling, who now accepts he must look for a new club in the final days of the window.
Juventus do hold a concrete interest but are yet to directly approach the Sterling camp. The England international was also offered to Aston Villa, who held some internal talks over him, but the overall cost of a deal is deemed too high by the club, even if Sterling takes a wage cut, which he is willing to do.
Sterling has also been offered by intermediaries to various Saudi clubs, including Al-Ahli and Al-Qadsiah. A late-window approach from the Middle East can’t be ruled out, but the 29-year-old would have to change his mind on a switch to the Saudi Pro League, having told Al-Hilal 12 months ago he did not wish to depart.
Chelsea have several outgoings to resolve in the final days of the window. Napoli are hoping for a breakthrough on Romelu Lukaku this week. Chelsea are willing to sanction a loan with obligation, which is the Serie A giants’ preferred format, but are insisting on €40m+. Napoli’s last offer was €30m. All parties are still optimistic the deal will happen.
The Lukaku talks do not involve Victor Osimhen. Chelsea view that as a separate late-window deal, but need the Nigerian striker to agree to an initial loan or for the overall cost of the deal to drop to make it viable.
Chelsea don’t have a fixed maximum wage in mind for Osimhen, but the 25-year-old would have to agree to reduce his desired £250,000-per-week terms for this season since Chelsea are without Champions League football, meaning he would be on under £200,000-per-week but with the ability to earn more if he hits personal and team targets.
Whether Osimhen or another name, Chelsea do want to bring in another striker, even though Marc Guiu has impressed in pre-season.
| Victor Osimhen’s senior club career statistics compared to Romelu Lukaku | ||
|---|---|---|
| Victor Osimhen | Romelu Lukaku | |
| Appearances | 223 | 636 |
| Goals | 114 | 301 |
| Assists | 28 | 89 |
| Yellow cards | 28 | 50 |
| Sent off | 3 | 3 |
| Statistics correct as of 21/08/2024 | ||
Armando Broja is set to depart Chelsea on Wednesday. He has agreed to a loan to Ipswich Town despite some initial reluctance. Ipswich chairman Mark Ashton played a significant role in convincing the Stamford Bridge outcast.
The deal will include a £30m obligation to buy if Ipswich stay in the Premier League, but Broja will not pre-agree a long-term deal beyond the loan yet. It means if the obligation is triggered, it will still be contingent on the Albanian striker finalising a contract at Portman Road.
Chelsea are fast-reducing their squad size. Lesley Ugochukwu has joined Southampton on a season-long loan with no option to buy. Diego Moreira (Strasbourg) and Mason Burstow (Hull City) have both left the Blues as well.
Bashir Humphreys is also expected to be a permanent departure. His loan move to Burnley is now official and contains a £12m obligation to buy with a further £2.7m in add-ons, and this clause is highly likely to be triggered. Meanwhile, Alex Matos, Leo Castledine and Harvey Vale are all expected to be loaned out as well.
Ben Chilwell could also depart after Maresca told GIVEMESPORT his situation is “delicate”. Chilwell doesn’t appear to fit into the Italian tactician’s system and played just 64 minutes during pre-season.
As of Tuesday night, Chelsea are yet to receive any offers for the England international left-back, and links with Manchester United are premature. But the market has been alerted to the fact the 27-year-old is available.
Things are somewhat more advanced with Trevoh Chalobah, who was omitted from Chelsea’s pre-season tour and is currently training with the development squad.
Crystal Palace, who are set to lose Joachim Andersen to Fulham, and Aston Villa, both hold a concrete interest. Chalobah is under contract until 2028 and is going to be quite picky. He ideally wants European football, but may engage with Crystal Palace due to a desire to also stay in London. Chelsea are looking for a minimum of £25m and could even seek £30m.
Newcastle United have also discussed Chalobah, but have been largely focused on trying to sign Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace. Now Andersen is likely to depart, that deal may not be possible since the Eagles don’t plan to lose both their starting centre-backs.
Instead of any active approach for Chalobah, Newcastle are exploring Stamford Bridge teammate Axel Disasi as it stands. Chalobah’s appeal was his ability to play at centre-half and right-back, but with Kieran Trippier still at the club and Tino Livramento highly-rated, Newcastle may well view Disasi as a better fit.
Chelsea could sanction a Carney Chukwuemeka exit. Crystal Palace, Napoli and Al-Qadsiah are attentive to his situation. The Blues also wish to sell David Datro Fofana, who Leicester City and Atalanta have looked at this summer.
Djordje Petrovic and Kepa Arrizabalaga are two other exits to keep an eye on. Chelsea are content to loan Petrovic to sister-club Strasbourg and have him develop as a ball-playing goalkeeper under Liam Rosenior.
The Serbian must decide if he thinks that is best for his development, given Filip Jorgensen has arrived from Villarreal and 19-year-old Mike Penders is expected to sign from Genk before being loaned back there. Kepa would love a move back to Madrid, but head coach Carlo Ancelotti has said Real’s business is done for the summer.
If Chelsea have their way, they could end up facilitating 12 permanent or temporary exits in 10 days. That’s a lot of work, and in a limited time, but not every potential outgoing is essential.
The Blues have spent around £240m, including the Estevao fee for 2025, and brought in about £120m in sales. If Lukaku, Broja, Chalobah and Sterling do all depart, and any obligations where applicable are met, the capital club won’t be far off a net-spend of £0.
They could even bring in more money than they have spent, which is the simplest reason why they can move so freely in the market – they have sellable assets. It’s just a race against time to try and get some of them out the door.
This summer is the end of a four-window plan, and Chelsea will feel they have landed talents for both now and the future on long-term, incentive-driven contracts. Owners Clearlake-Boehly have been able to lower the average age and wage bill at the club as well.
Once the window shuts, Chelsea’s owners will feel they are into stage two of the project, and may argue it’s the first full season when they, and their strategy, should be fully judged. It’s been a productive summer, and now the focus is firmly on squad and book-balancing. There just might be room for a big-name striker, too.
