Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Chelsea have already completed the signings of four new players since Xabi Alonso arrived at Stamford Bridge and now, it looks set to become five after a breakthrough in talks.
With pre-arranged deals for Geovany Quenda, Denner, Dastan Satpaev and Emmanuel Emegha, Chelsea have spent £300m after signing Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra and Danny Welbeck.
Pep Chavarria's stats vs Crystal Palace
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A massive outlay, but Chelsea are showing no signs of slowing down. The Blues are expected to confirm a deal for Jordan Henderson in due course, while confirmation of Valentin Barco’s arrival is also expected.
Now, the Blues seem to have got another deal over the line, which could possibly take them to 11 new arrivals just this summer. The Blues have long been in talks to sign Rayo Vallecano ace Pep Chavarria.
Chelsea finally agree fee with Rayo Vallecano for Pep Chavarria
Chelsea have made previous offers for Chavarria, but the bid was not deemed good enough for the Europa Conference League finalists. It has been reported that Rayo had changed the goalposts, too.
Indeed, there were some suggestions that Rayo did not want to sell Chavarria for anything other than his £42.4m release clause. But now, reports from Spain suggest Chelsea have finally got a deal over the line.
Pep Chavarria of Rayo Vallecano looks on
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It is claimed by Spanish newspaper Marca and transfer expert Matteo Moretto that Chelsea and Rayo have finally agreed a fee of £21.3m (25m euros) for Chavarria. Moretto says a deal could be imminent.
The Spanish reporter claims an announcement could take place in the next few hours. The fee Rayo are set to receive for Chavarria is a record fee for the club, hence Rayo’s need to extract every single penny.
What Pep Chavarria’s arrival means for Chelsea
Marc Cucurella obviously needed replacing, and Chavarria is the man Chelsea have wanted for the entire window. The Blues have also been linked with Alvaro Carreras, Lewis Hall and Maxi Araujo among others.
Player ratings vs Tottenham
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What it does mean, though, is that Jorrel Hato is no longer Chelsea’s first-choice option. The need to play Palestra out of position on the left is no longer a requirement, while Landon Emenalo will have to wait.
The American-born ace has impressed in pre-season, but the need to promote him now has lessened. The good news is that Chelsea have finally got their man, the one Alonso wanted at Chelsea as left-back.