Chelsea may be tempted to reconsider their transfer plans for the final week of the summer window after their strong start to the season. The Blues have splashed the cash on a host of attacking talent over the past few months, and a further two deals are in the pipeline.
Enzo Maresca pushed to overhaul his frontline heading into the transfer window, and his prayers were answered with the arrivals of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens. However, the ex-Leicester City boss is still keen to welcome more new signings in that department.
Manchester United star Alejandro Garnacho is their top target out wide, with the winger part of Ruben Amorim’s bomb squad at Old Trafford. The Argentine international is keen to join the Blues, and his social media posts have certainly hinted at that.
However, Pedro Neto may have thrown a spanner in the works for Garnacho. The winger was electric in Chelsea’s 5-1 win over West Ham on Friday evening, and his performances in pre-season certainly caught the eye as well.
Neto caused the lacklustre West Ham defence an abundance of problems with his pace and energy, and his deliveries from set-pieces were key in the Blues running riot at the London Stadium. The ex-Wolves star’s crosses played a role in Pedro’s opener, as well as Trevoh Chalobah and Moises Caicedo’s goals.
The 25-year-old is capable of playing on either flank, and he is quickly becoming one of Maresca’s most trusted stars. As such, it begs the question: do Chelsea need to fork out a significant fee on Garnacho as well?
United are demanding a fee in the region of £50million for their wantaway winger, whereas Chelsea are said to be looking to negotiate a deal for a fee of £30m. If the Blues find their efforts to strike a deal on their own terms unsuccessful, Maresca may have to weigh up whether another significant outlay is worthwhile.
Simons’ versatility will also play into Chelsea’s thinking given that he can play on either wing as well as a No. 10, meaning that there will be another player queuing up for minutes out wide. With Maresca demanding a centre-back signing as well, it remains to be seen whether he could look to divert the Garnacho transfer fund into a defensive recruit.