Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will see his side in action for the first time since the FIFA Club World Cup final when they host Bayer Leverkusen on Friday night.
The Blues haven’t yet started their pre-season campaign due to their participation in the competition in the United States earlier this summer, but the West London side will now face Leverkusen and AC Milan in the coming days before the Premier League begins.
Maresca’s side host London rivals Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the new season, before a trip east of the capital to visit old rivals West Ham United.
This summer has already been a busy one for Chelsea with several incomings and outgoings, but it now appears that the club are closing in on the signing of a forward from one of their fiercest rivals.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have reached a full agreement on personal terms with Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho.
Garnacho wasn’t named in the starting XI for United’s Europa League final defeat against Spurs (Photo: Insidefoto/Alamy)
He claims that the player has been fully committed to a move to Stamford Bridge and has now reached a total agreement on every detail of personal terms with the London side.
Garnacho, 21, was one of few United players to have impressed at times last season, as the Red Devils limped to a 15th-placed finish in the Premier League and were beaten in the Europa League final by Tottenham Hotspur.
His future is likely to lie away from Old Trafford, though, having fallen out with Ruben Amorim after being a substitute against Spurs in Bilbao.
Romano claims that the two clubs will now hold talks with a view to agreeing a deal for the Argentine, who joined United from Atlético Madrid in 2020.
Since then Garnacho has scored 26 goals and provided 22 assists in 144 games for the Red Devils across all competitions, but it appears that his time with the club could come to an end very soon.