Chelsea have agreed terms with a player over an outright summer move to Stamford Bridge in 2025, and insiders within the club view this deal as a potentially very astute one for manager Enzo Maresca.
Chelsea preparing to face Everton after 5-1 win over Shamrock Rovers
The west Londoners rounded off their final Europa Conference League game of the year with a 5-1 victory over Irish side Shamrock Rovers on Thursday evening.
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He's been in the form of his life this season.
A hat-trick from summer signing Marc Guiu - alongside goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Marc Cucurella - extended Chelsea's excellent run of form to eight straight wins in all competitions.
Chelsea's Marc Guiu celebrates
Maresca's side also haven't tasted a single defeat in all competitions for nearly two months, last losing to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup, and they haven't lost a Premier League game since their 2-1 loss to Liverpool at Anfield in October.
Chelsea's next Premier League fixtures Date
Everton (away) December 22
Fulham (home) December 26
Ipswich Town (away) December 30
Crystal Palace (away) January 4
Bournemouth (home) January 14
Chelsea's tremendous strength in depth allows them to battle on three fronts in very efficient fashion, with Maresca's B team getting the job done against Shamrock and certain players now well rested for a looming test against Everton on Sunday.
"Very excited, first of all, with the performance, with the result," said Maresca on Chelsea's 5-1 win over Shamrock.
"Once again I think they show how serious they are, how professional they are. In this kind of game sometimes it's easy to drop, but first of all they know that they are not allowed to drop, and second, we need to show that we are serious, we are professional, and once again I think they show that.
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"And then, yeah, it's been a good chance for the young players, some of them, so we are very happy.
"I think now that we are in the next round, we have to be focused on the next round, and then if we are able to win, go in the next, but thinking to play the final or to win this competition when you have still five or six games to go, I don't think it's the correct thing."
Jadon Sancho agrees terms to join Chelsea permanently next summer
One player who was included on the bench against Shamrock but didn't play, potentially in an effort to rest him for Everton, is £100,000-per-week winger Jadon Sancho.
The Englishman has really impressed on the whole since making the move to Chelsea on loan from Man United in the summer, so much so that the club are making moves ahead of time to secure his future at the club.
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According to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, via his Substack, Chelsea have already "provisionally" and "verbally" agreed terms with Sancho over an outright move to London next summer, and his temporary deal is set to become permanent for around £23 million if they finish higher than 15th in the table.
Cobham sources view this move as a "massive bargain" behind-the-scenes, and Maresca has really enjoyed working with the ex-Borussia Dortmund star who's been on "cloud nine" since joining.
With Chelsea's first permanent signing of next summer looking all but certain, attention switches to January, and it looks set to be an intriguing window.