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Chelsea chief Marina Granovskaia may sign two players by 11pm tonight
Chelsea chief Marina Granovskaia is in charge of transfer business over at Stamford Bridge.
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Chelsea chief Marina Granovskaia has already signed Romelu Lukaku so far this summer. However, the Blues still have transfer interest in two players with the clock ticking down. So Express Sport will now examine their cases, how they’d fit in at Stamford Bridge and what needs to happen.
Jules Kounde
Chelsea have made plans to sign Jules Kounde this summer.
And, although personal terms with the France international has been agreed, the deal still stands in the balance.
All summer long, Chelsea have believed they’d be able to sign the La Liga defender for cheaper than his £68.5million release clause.
After all, even though the Blues are flushed with money, that’s still too steep for a player of Kounde’s calibre.
At the moment, Sevilla are unwilling to budge.
Chelsea are a defender short after allowing Kurt Zouma to leave, with the Frenchman joining West Ham for a fee of £25million.
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And unless the La Liga side drop their asking price, it looks as though the Blues will miss out.
Of course, Chelsea can just send the saga by paying the money Sevilla want.
And whether Granovskaia does that, with so little time left on the clock, is something only time will tell.
Chelsea have moved late in the past - but a deal of this magnitude would certainly excite supporters.
Does Thomas Tuchel really need another defender? That, too, is a question fans are waiting to see the true answer to.
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Saul Niguez
Chelsea are big admirers of Atletico Madrid star Saul Niguez.
The Blues are well-stocked in the middle of the park, having the likes of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Matteo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek battling for a starting berth.
But Saul would add a new dimension to their side.
Atletico Madrid are willing to let the Spain international go, for the right price.
Chelsea have tried with a loan to buy option but interest from Stamford Bridge still remains as the clock ticks down.
Using players in a swap deal with Atletico may be one way of convincing the reigning La Liga champions to lower their demands.
But, if not, then Chelsea should just stump up the cash.
Diego Simeone’s side would be willing to negotiate for a fee of £43m, which isn’t a huge amount of money in 2021.
And Chelsea know this, of course.
Granovskaia likes to sign players for a better, cheaper price. But, on this one, Chelsea may have to just bite the bullet to get the switch done.