Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues locked in Moises Caicedo talks; club could sign Dusan Vlahovic for €25 million, and more - July 11, 2023
Chelsea have been very active in the transfer market this summer. Mauricio Pochettino has taken charge at Stamford Bridge, while the club have also brought in Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson.
Meanwhile, the Blues are locked in talks to sign Moises Caicedo. Elsewhere, Juventus have informed the London giants that striker Dusan Vlahovic could be available for a £25 million player-plus-cash deal.
On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on July 11, 2023:
Chelsea locked in Moises Caicedo talks
Chelsea are engaged in talks with Brighton & Hove Albion for the services of Moises Caicedo, according to acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano. The Ecuadorian midfielder is a priority target for Pochettino this summer as he looks to take the club back to the top.
On Monday’s DeBrief podcast, Romano said that the London giants are working closely with the Seagulls to chalk out a deal.
"The negotiations for Moises Caicedo is still ongoing because as I already explained, from what I am told, this negotiation between Chelsea and Brighton is kind of direct negotiation, so it’s not traditional negotiations in terms of an official bid and official answer from the other club,” said Romano.
He continued:
"We know they have Paul Winstanley, who was at Brighton, so he has a good relationship with the club, and so they are trying to handle this one different way, for example, last summer was very difficult to negotiate for (Marc) Cucurella."
Romano added that the Blues want to sign the player for £80 million, while Brighton are pushing for £100 million.
"The idea for Chelsea is to close this for around £70 million plus add-ons, or maybe £80 million. That has to be the package for Moises Caicedo. Brighton want more than this, so Brighton feel that can rise to something around maybe £90 million or £100 million,” said Romano.
He concluded:
“There is one crucial point, the player wants to go because Roberto De Zerbi told him in February when he signed a new deal that he had this opportunity to go and to find a new club in case they received a good proposal, so I am sure that Moises Caicedo deal is going to be very concrete in the next days.”
Caicedo's arrival could help Chelsea deal with the departure of N'Golo Kante this summer.
Blues could sign Dusan Vlahovic for €25 million
Chelsea could sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic for €25 million if they include Romelu Lukaku in the deal, according to Football London.
The Blues are in the market for attacking reinforcements this summer and have signed Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson. However, Pochettino wants another No. 9 to lead the line and has his eyes on Vlahovic.
The Serb has done a decent job since joining Juventus last year. However, he's likely to be offloaded this summer after falling out with manager Massimiliano Allegri. The Bianconeri have their eyes on Lukaku, who has experience of playing in Serie A with Inter Milan.
Chelsea are looking to offload the Belgian this summer, and Juventus have sniffed out an opportunity. They have already informed the Blues that they could sign Vlahovic on a cut-price deal if Lukaku heads the other way.
Chelsea not eyeing Paulo Dybala this summer
The Blues are not in negotiations to sign Paulo Dybala this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Argentinean forward has been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge following a stellar 2022-23 season with AS Roma. Defender Thiago Silva recently expressed a desire to see Dybala in London this year.
However, in his column for Caught Offside, Romano said that the Serie A side want to keep Dybala beyond the summer.
"Despite Thiago Silva’s public comments about Paulo Dybala, I’m still told there’s nothing advanced on a potential move to Chelsea. We will see in the next weeks, but, for sure, Roma hope to keep him as Jose Mourinho considers Dybala a crucial player for the project," wrote Romano.
He continued:
“I think Dybala can succeed in the Premier League or indeed everywhere as he’s a top player, but he needs to feel 'important' in his club, and that’s what Roma are giving him.”
Dybala has a €12 million release clause in his contract for clubs outside Italy.