Enzo Maresca leads his Chelsea team at the Club World Cup in the USA over the next few weeks, but he will still be aiming to bolster his squad.
Chelsea's Club World Cup fixtures
Date
Monday, June 16
Friday, June 20
Tuesday, June 24
Indeed, several players have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge of late, notably Hugo Ekitiké. The French striker is wanted by several clubs, and now Manchester United have entered the race.
Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike
Benfica defender Tomas Araujo is another player that the Blues have targeted this week. He did sign a new contract until 2029 with the Portuguese side, and it has a release clause of €80m (£68m) inserted.
Jamie Gittens is the one target whom the club appear to be prioritising of late, although they might need to wait until the Club World Cup ends to get their man.
Chelsea keen on signing Jamie Gittens
The Blues had an initial bid rejected for the English teenager before making a €50m (£42m) offer, yet this was also rejected by Borussia Dortmund.
Maresca is now preparing a new offer to sign the English talent, who is worth €50m (£42m) according to Transfermarkt.
Borussia Dortmund's Jamie Bynoe-Gittens in action with Club Brugge's Ferran Jutgla
Across his senior career with Dortmund, the 20-year-old has already played over 100 times, registering 31 goal contributions in the process.
In terms of potential, Gittens is one of the most talented young wingers in Europe, given his goal contributions at such a young age. Should he make the move to Stamford Bridge, he would build on his experience gained in the Bundesliga.
Regarding young talent, Chelsea have a player in their squad who is worth more than double that of Gittens, and he could go right to the very top.
Chelsea have struck gold on Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer was signed for just £40m in 2023. Let that sink in for a moment. Across his two seasons with Chelsea, the Englishman has scored 40 goals and registered 27 assists in just 91 matches for the Blues.
Remarkably, this counts as a goal contribution every 1.3 games, and there is no denying that £40m has turned out to be a sublime bargain for the London side.
Cole Palmer
He was widely praised by Maresa following a victory against Tottenham last season, describing the former Manchester City starlet as “one of the best” players in the Premier League.
When compared to his peers in the top flight last term, Palmer ranked in the top 4% for shot-creating actions (5.7), in the top 9% for progressive passes (6.04), and in the top 3% for expected goals (0.49) per 90.
One of the best indeed. The best thing is, Palmer will only continue to get better and better as time goes on.
Palmer’s stunning rise is evidenced by his market value shooting up in the previous 12 months. According to Transfermarkt, the English midfielder is now worth a staggering €120m (£102m), and it looks like it will continue to soar.
Chelsea's Cole Palmer reacts
While Gittens may be the next big thing to come from Dortmund, Chelsea have struck gold with their own English talent. Especially considering he is worth over double what the 20-year-old is valued at.
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The west Londoners have their eyes on a different striker.