The latest Chelsea transfer state of play with the Blues expected to be very busy in the final hours of the summer window
Enzo Fernandez
Manchester City are working hard to try and sign Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea on transfer deadline day(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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Chelsea are expected to be very busy in the final hours of the summer transfer window.
Yes, it's that time again: deadline day. It has been a hectic summer at Stamford Bridge with plenty of change - on and off the pitch.
Chelsea's biggest signing of the summer is in the form of Xabi Alonso, who was handed a four-year contract in SW6 and the role of 'manager', not 'head coach' like the Spaniard's predecessors under this ownership. Alonso has been given the keys, so to speak, at the club and has had a lot more power than those before him in regards to transfers.
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Chelsea have made a total of 11 signings throughout the course of the summer transfer window. Valentin Barco, Emmanuel Emegha, Geovany Quenda and Dastan Satpayev all arrived on pre-agreed deals, while the likes of Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Pep Chavarria, Emiliano Martinez, Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson have also been brought in at Stamford Bridge.
Yet it appears Chelsea are not done just yet.
It has been a remarkable, summer-long transfer saga regarding wantaway Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez and, predictably, it is set to go down to the wire. At least we have some form of an update: Manchester City opened talks with the Blues - for the first time this summer - on Monday as Enzo Maresca's side look to close a deal with their Premier League rivals.
Enzo Fernandez
Enzo Fernandez could leave Chelsea today(Image: Chris Lee - Chelsea FC )
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City have taken their time but it seems inevitable now that Fernandez will be moving to the Etihad Stadium in the final hours of the summer transfer window.
Fernandez has been left out of the last two Chelsea matchday squads - against Luton Town and Brighton - with Alonso hinting the midfielder does not have the right "energy" to be involved at the moment.
It is now - as it has been for as long as one can remember - a waiting game to see what happens with Fernandez and whether City can match Chelsea's valuation, believed to be over £120million.
Chelsea sources are insistent they will not allow the squad to be weakened if Fernandez does depart today.
The Blues are chasing at least one more signing before tonight's 11pm deadline. That is expected to be a central midfielder, while sources have also spoken about the possibility of signing another versatile attacker - after the record arrival of Rogers - all summer-long.
At one point, it looked as if Lamine Camara was nailed on to become a Chelsea player. It does not look as certain as it once did, though football.london understands the AS Monaco midfielder remains an option for the Blues on deadline day.
Lamine Camara
Lamine Camara is a target for Chelsea(Image: Antonio Borga/Eurasia Sport Images)
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AS Roma midfielder Manu Kone is another candidate for Chelsea. However, the Italian club are said to be reluctant to sell the France international, with manager Gian Piero Gasperini a huge fan of the midfielder.
Alex Scott remains of interest but Bournemouth have maintained their 'hands off' stance regarding their star midfielder all summer-long. The Cherries are adamant Scott will not be leaving the Vitality Stadium before the transfer window closes despite Chelsea making numerous approaches to their Premier League rivals.
Morgan Gibbs-White might be one to keep your eye out for. As reported by football.london last week, the Nottingham Forest star has plenty of admirers within Chelsea's sporting leadership team. There is nothing concrete regarding negotiations at the time of writing, but various sources have floated the 26-year-old's name multiple times throughout the course of the summer transfer window.
Morgan Gibbs-White
Morgan Gibbs-White has admirers high up at Chelsea(Image: Oli Scarff/AFP)
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Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is a huge fan of Gibbs-White as shown when he intervened to block the England international's proposed move to Tottenham last summer.
Speaking of Tottenham, the north Londoners are set to sign two Chelsea players on deadline day. The two rivals are not usually ones to do business together but Spurs are on the verge of bringing in a couple of the Blues' fringe players today.
Mykhailo Mudryk is expected to finalise a season-long loan move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the coming hours. Sources close to the Ukrainian say there is an option to buy for £75m inserted into his loan deal with Spurs, where he will reunite with Roberto De Zerbi, his former Shakhtar Donetsk boss.
Mykhailo Mudryk
Tottenham are set to sign Mykhailo Mudryk(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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Elsewhere, Tosin Adarabioyo is set to sign for Tottenham on a permanent basis. The 28-year-old was deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge and is now expected to join up with De Zerbi's squad.
Robert Sanchez is close to signing for Como on a season-long loan deal. The Blues decided to sign a new No.1 goalkeeper following Sanchez's poor performance in the win over Fulham last week and that has left the Spaniard surplus to requirements under Alonso.
Dario Essugo is available for loan. Hull City are one of numerous Premier League clubs to have expressed an interest in the 21-year-old midfielder. However, sources say the newly-promoted Tigers prefer a loan with an option to buy, while Chelsea are in favour of either a deal with no option, or one with an obligation to make it permanent next summer.
Dario Essugo
Dario Essugo is available to leave Chelsea on loan today(Image: Chris Lee - Chelsea FC)
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Pedro Neto is expected to stay at Chelsea but sources will not rule out a departure if the right offer arrives. Said offer would have to be in the region of £100m, football.london understands, but that looks increasingly likely to occur with hours remaining of the window.
Jamie Gittens is not available for loan despite talk of another proposal from Roma. Chelsea sources expect the winger to remain at the club beyond this evening's deadline.