Chelsea are now favourites to sign a £148m star ahead of Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, despite the latter's bottomless financial power, and talks have already been over a move for the player.
Chelsea transfer plans amid tight Champions League race
Enzo Maresca and co face off against top-five rivals Newcastle United in the Premier League this afternoon, knowing a win at St James' Park will give them an almighty boost in their chase for Champions League qualification.
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Diego Simeone's side really want him.
Both Chelsea and Newcastle are neck-and-neck in the table, level on both points and goal difference, with nothing separating either side - so this will be a very tough one to call for onlookers.
Eddie Howe's men boast the home advantage, but Chelsea will be in good spirits after an excellent run of form and their win over English champions Liverpool last weekend. It is a truly mouth-watering clash, and one which even has the power to have an effect on Chelsea's summer transfer plans this summer.
Chelsea's final Premier League fixtures Date
Newcastle (away) May 11th
Man United (home) May 16th
Nottingham Forest (away) May 25th
This is because qualification for the Champions League is intertwined with the club's recruitment drive, as per Maresca himself in a recent press conference, and a top-five finish is seen as vital when it comes to Chelsea's aims for the window.
According to reports, Chelsea are aiming to sign a new winger among their chief priorities, and BlueCo already have their eyes on a host of targets.
Garnacho-Man-Utd
Talks have already been held over a move for Borussia Dortmund sensation Jamie Gittens, according to Sky Germany's Florian Plettenberg, while reports this week also indicate that Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho is still a target for Chelsea as well.
As well as the aforementioned duo, links to AC Milan star Rafael Leao continue to be fairly strong.
Chelsea ahead of Al-Nassr in race for Rafael Leao after initial talks
The Portugal international's contract includes a £148 million release clause, which is active for around 10 days in July, but clubs are likely to negotiate a price lower than this pretty seismic figure.
As per CaughtOffside, Chelsea have held initial talks over signing Leao, and despite interest from Al-Nassr, the Blues have an advantage over them. The outlet reports that Leao wants to stay in Europe, which puts them ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo's side, and as things stand, Chelsea are the "most advanced" when it comes to any kind of agreement for his signature.
AC Milan's Rafael Leao
Arsenal are in the mix as well, but they view the winger as more of an alternative to Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams.
Leao has been a star player for Milan since joining them from Lille, with former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham branding the forward an "unstoppable" force on his day.
"Leao is a very important player for us," said Abraham to Italian media.
"I don’t think he knows how good he is. He can win games on his own, on his day, he is unstoppable. We have to fill him with confidence and bring him on our path."