Borussia Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi was wanted by Newcastle United as an alternative to Anthony Elangaplaceholder image
Borussia Dortmund winger Karim Adeyemi was wanted by Newcastle United as an alternative to Anthony Elanga | Getty Images
Chelsea have been told they must pay over £55m to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Karim Adeyemi this summer.
The Blues have already spent big to sign Jamie Gittens from Dortmund this summer, parting with an initial £48.5m to sign the former Manchester City academy player. Gittens represented Dortmund at the Club World Cup this summer before joining finalists Chelsea.
Gittens’ move to Stamford Bridge was swiftly followed by Joao Pedro as Chelsea’s lavish transfer spending continues. The former Brighton man was wanted by Newcastle United, but opted instead to join Enzo Maresca’s squad.
Chelsea are apparently not finished in their search for attacking reinforcements this summer with Adeyemi among the players they have been linked with. The 23-year-old was reportedly on Newcastle United’s radar as a potential alternative to Anthony Elanga should they fail to agree a fee for the Swedish international with Nottingham Forest.
However, a breakthrough in talks with Forest was achieved earlier this week and Elanga has become a Newcastle United player. The Magpies will spend an initial £52m for him plus £3m in add-ons.
Karim Adeyemi fee ‘revealed’
Elanga will become one of Newcastle United’s most expensive signings ever with the £55m fee seemingly the going rate for attacking players this summer. Pedro’s move to Chelsea was in a similar ball park financial-wise, whilst Spurs’ moves for Morgan Gibbs-White and Mohammed Kudus could set them back £60m and £55m respectively.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Chelsea have been quoted around £55m for Adeyemi’s signature this summer. According to Bild, Dortmund will demand around €65m for Adeyemi, a player they are reluctant to sell this summer following Gittens’ departure.
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However, Dortmund’s model of trading means that they will accept offers for their best players if an acceptable offer is made for them. They also retain a good relationship with Chelsea after the two clubs were able to overcome numerous roadblocks to finally agree a deal for Gittens.
Dortmund’s sporting director Sebastian Kehl admitted as much after they rejected Chelsea’s initial bid for the winger in the final days of the first mini-transfer window of the summer: “There was contact with Chelsea FC, who got in touch again.” Kehl said in June.
“We spoke again on the phone and exchanged expectations and different ideas. In the end, we didn't come to an agreement because we have different ideas about the player's current value.
“But the talks were very, very respectful. We have been in very good dialogue with Chelsea for many years.
“We are happy Jamie will now be part of our team at the Club World Cup and are delighted he is staying. I'm not responsible for the late offer - but, of course, I still have to deal with it and that's what we've done.
“We looked into it very seriously, but in the end we also made a decision for ourselves. It's still absolutely OK that Chelsea made this attempt. And, once again, we are in good dialogue. Let's see how things develop in the future.”
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