Chelsea are believed to still be active in the summer transfer market, despite having just shored up their attacking line with two deals for Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho and Brighton's Facundo Buonanotte.
23 transfers, 24 if you count Buonanotte, have been conducted by Chelsea - and that's not even including their various outgoing loan deals for the likes of Marc Guiu and Aaron Anselmino.
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and co-sporting director Paul Winstanley in the stands before the match
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and co-sporting director Paul Winstanley in the stands before the match
BlueCo's hustle in the market has yielded over £300 million in player sales with around £320 million spent on new signings, with Enzo Maresca's side registering a net-spend of just £20 million as they navigate PSR excellently.
|Chelsea's summer transfers|
|Incoming|Outgoing|
|---|
|Joao Pedro|Noni Madueke|
|Jamie Gittens|João Félix|
|Jorrel Hato|Djordje Petrovic|
|Liam Delap|Lesley Ugochukwu|
|Dario Essugo|Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall|
|Mamadou Sarr|Renato Veiga|
|Estevao|Armando Broja|
|Kendry Paez|Carney Chukwuemeka|
|Alejandro Garnacho|Mathis Amougou|
|Facundo Buonanotte|Basir Humphreys|
||Kepa Arrizabalaga|
||Marcus Bettinelli|
||Christopher Nkunku|
||Alfie Gilchrist|
Exits for Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Mathis Amougou and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have made room for the likes of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Jorrel Hato, but if Chelsea want to register Garnacho and Buonanotte for their Champions League squad next season, more sales could be required.
This is especially the case if Maresca wants to include Barcelona star Fermin Lopez, who is now a top target for Chelsea heading into deadline day after they missed out on Xavi Simons to Tottenham.
Chelsea-Fermin-Lopez
The Spaniard has become a key player for Hansi Flick, bagging eight goals and 10 assists in 46 total appearances last season, and Chelsea are believed to be trying their luck to sign him.
Reports suggest Maresca has been in contact with Lopez personally, and Chelsea are prepared to offer Barça a maximum of around £50 million for the player, not to mention a lucrative contract worth £250,000-per-week, but the player's club want £60m (Sport).
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have even made a £40m bid for Lopez, but Barça are not keen on selling and must rely on the player's decision to force through a transfer - unless they trigger his seismic £433 million release clause, of course.
Chelsea "working tirelessly" to sign Fermin Lopez after Facundo Buonanotte
As per TEAMtalk, Chelsea are "working tirelessly" to convince Lopez to join them, even after their deal for Buonanotte.
FC Barcelona's Fermin Lopez in action with Athletic Bilbao's Mikel Jauregizar
FC Barcelona's Fermin Lopez in action with Athletic Bilbao's Mikel Jauregizar
The Blues are ready to offer him a "lucrative" long-term contract, as previously reported, and personal terms aren't expected to pose any issue in this potential deal.
While Barça are a roadblock, Chelsea appear to be doing all they can on the player front.
TT sources also claim that Lopez is warming to the idea of a Stamford Bridge move, but is yet to fully commit to the idea. The 22-year-old has emotional ties to Barça, having grown up as a lifelong fan, and he's publicly denied notions he would leave this summer.
That being said, players can pull U-turns, and the prospect of a Premier League move is enticing for any athlete at any level.
“Footballers who are like Fermín, who move continuously, are greatly underestimated,” Barça legend Pedro Rodriguez told El Pais about Lopez.
“In addition, those who move a lot usually arrive in the box and score goals.”