It has been an agonising wait for Chelsea fans to find out if Xavi Simons will be joining them from RB Leipzig. It must have been even worse for the player, though.
Xavi Simons, 22, has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge throughout this summer. With just a few days left of the transfer window, the attacking midfielder is still currently in Germany with Leipzig.
Chelsea have promised to bid for Simons before the window closes, but their recent focus has been around selling players to trim the squad.
Even though Tottenham have emerged with late interest in signing Simons, the Leipzig star is still prioritising a move to join the Blues. If Enzo Maresca’s side fail to get this deal wrapped up before Monday’s deadline day, it would feel pretty devastating.
RB Leipzig's Xavi Simons and Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano during the Bundesliga fixture.
Photo by Marcel Engelbrecht – firo sportphoto/Getty Images
People close to Xavi Simons still expect him to join Chelsea
Journalist Simon Phillips has provided an update via Substack on Thursday morning regarding the ongoing Simons saga.
He reports that the future of the Leipzig playmaker rests on Chelsea selling Christopher Nkunku and other players.
Apparently, Chelsea have remained in talks with Leipzig about Simons and there is belief that the deal can yet be concluded. The 22-year-old player is very frustrated with his current employers for not agreeing a deal yet and is applying pressure.
In addition, people close to Simons still envisage him joining Chelsea this summer in the closing stages of the window.
Club Appearances Goals Assists
RB Leipzig 78 22 24
PSV Eindhoven 48 22 11
Paris Saint-Germain 11 0 1
Xavi Simons’ record in senior club football
MORE CHELSEA STORIES
As you can see above, Simons already has quite an impressive CV for someone his age. The versatile attacker, who can shine as a No.10 or a left-winger, would be a really exciting addition for Chelsea if he joins.
Xavi Simons dribbling for RB Leipzig against Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
Photo by Marcel Engelbrecht – firo sportphoto/Getty Images
The latest with Christopher Nkunku
If the futures of Simons and Nkunku are tied together, the good news is that the latter could be edging closer to leaving Chelsea.
It’s been reported this week that AC Milan have nearly agreed a five-year deal with Nkunku and are now preparing a transfer bid to buy the French attacker. Hopefully, the 27-year-old attacker secure a move to the San Siro to reignite his career after two challenging years in West London.
If the Blues manage to offload Nkunku and bring in Simons during the next few days, we would see that as a huge positive.