Chelsea urged to sell £110m duo to sign classy La Liga star after Man Utd hijack plan emerges
A former Chelsea player has urged Blues chairman Todd Boehly to axe two stars in a deal worth up to £110million so they can bring in a high-quality La Liga star ahead of Manchester United.
After spending over £600m in the last two transfer windows, Chelsea look set for a busy summer offloading players later this year. Hakim Ziyech will be determined to force through an exit after his last-minute Paris Saint-Germain move fell through on January 31.
And the winger could be followed out of Stamford Bridge by the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount.
The departure of Mount would be particularly damaging. While he has been far from his best this term, he is still loved by Chelsea fans. This is because of his huge contribution in previous seasons and the fact he came through the club’s famed Cobham academy.
To make matters worse for Chelsea, Mount could join one of their ‘Big Six’ rivals. With his contract running out in June 2024, Liverpool have been alerted to the opportunity of snaring Mount for a reduced price.
If he was tied down to a long-term deal, Chelsea would never entertain bids worth less than £80million for him. But now, the Blues have been forced to set his price tag at £50m, according to The Guardian.
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Mount’s exit would damage Boehly’s reputation at Chelsea. Despite this, former Blues player Frank Leboeuf, who made 201 appearances for the club, believes Mount should be sold alongside winger Christian Pulisic. Chelsea invested just under £60m in Pulisic four years ago but he has not been able to make himself one of their most important players.
Leboeuf believes these departures would help Chelsea to fund a permanent deal for loanee Joao Felix without breaking Financial Fair play regulations.
Chelsea told to land ‘great player’ on permanent basis
“Joao Felix is a great player,” the former centre-back said during an interview with ESPN. “I think he’s the most dangerous player, the most entertaining player, the most artistic player at Chelsea right now. He’s been pretty consistent too, almost every game he creates something.
“Hopefully Chelsea will be able to sell a few players – maybe Pulisic and Mount – and can then get Felix on a permanent. It would be a lot of money, that’s the only worry for the owners. But in terms of a football player, I would sign him.”
Felix joined Chelsea on loan from Atletico Madrid two months ago. The two clubs did not include a permanent option, but it would not be a surprise if Chelsea had already decided to try and buy him after his classy displays for them.
Chelsea may well get first refusal on Felix due to the loan. However, a new threat has emerged in the form of Man Utd.
Journalist Sergio Picos has told Spanish outlet AS that Man Utd cannot be discounted for a summer move as they are long-term admirers of Felix.
And Picos even suggested that Felix could follow in the footsteps of compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo by donning the coveted number seven shirt at Old Trafford. It is free following Ronaldo’s contract termination earlier this season.
It is hard to blame Man Utd for striking up an interest in Felix following his top performances for Chelsea. He has adapted to the Premier League brilliantly and is already one of Chelsea’s main sources of creativity.
The 23-year-old will face a big decision this summer if both Man Utd and Chelsea come calling. He could just sway towards a permanent Chelsea move due to his existing relationship with the club.
Meanwhile, Man Utd appear to have beaten Chelsea to the capture of a highly rated defender after a ‘breakthrough’ in talks.
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