Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Ivan Toney to cost more than £70m, Kepa unlikely to return, and more - September 11, 2023
Chelsea have blown hot and cold in the new campaign so far. Mauricio Pochettino has seen his team struggle to impress despite investing heavily on the squad over the summer.
Meanwhile, Ivan Toney is likely to cost more than £70m this summer. Elsewhere, Kepa Arrizabalaga is unlikely to stay to Stamford Bridge once he returns from a loan spell next summer.
On that note, let's take a look at the major Chelsea transfer news from September 11, 2023.
Ivan Toney to cost more than £70m
Ivan Toney is likely to cost in excess of £70m in January, according to Football Insider. The Brentford striker is a target for Chelsea, but wasn't available in the summer as he is serving a ban due to gambling activities. The Blues are expected to further bolster their attack in the winter and Toney has emerged as an option.
However, the Bees are reluctant to let him go without a fight. The Englishman will return to action in January, and the club are not too keen to let him go in the middle of the season. However, if the London giants insist, they will have to pay a premium fee for Toney.
Kepa Arrizabalaga unlikely to return to Stamford Bridge
Kepa Arrizabalaga is unlikely to play again at Stamford Bridge, according to transfer insider Ben Jacobs. The Spanish custodian opted to join Real Madrid this summer on loan as a replacement for the injured Thibaut Courtois.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jacobs said that Kepa will no longer be No. 1 at Chelsea if he returns, saying:
"Before the surprise move came about, Pochettino was genuinely considering both Kepa and Robert Sanchez. There was a very real possibility, if the Real move hadn't come about after Thibaut Courtois' injury, that Kepa would have started the first few games of the season because Robert Sanchez was still integrating at Chelsea."
He continued:
"But now I think the fact that Kepa wanted that move, and left so quickly, has only shown Pochettino and Chelsea that it's unlikely that he'll return. If he does return, he won't be the No.1 goalkeeper at the football club, which means that coming back will still require, in likelihood, a solution for him to leave."
Jacobs added that the Blues won't be too worried about the situation as Kepa's contract runs until 2025.
"Chelsea can be relaxed about the situation because, contractually, Kepa is still at the football club until 2025. But I think that both club and player, at the end of the Real Madrid loan, will be looking for solutions away from Chelsea," said Jacobs.
The Spaniard has made a decent start to life at the Santiago Bernabeu, keeping a clean sheet on his debut against Celta Vigo.
Marc Cucurella backed to leave Chelsea in the coming days
Marc Cucurella could leave Stamford Bridge in the coming days, according to journalist Paul Brown. The Spaniard is a peripheral figure at Chelsea, with the team attempting to offload him to Manchester United this summer. However, the move failed to transpire, putting the player in a strange position at the club.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Brown said that Cucurella is unlikely to force his way back into contention under Mauricio Pochettino, saying:
"Yeah, the window ended in a very strange way for Cucurella, because I think he genuinely believed he was on his way to Man United, and then he suddenly ended up playing in that cup game, and the move kind of fell apart after that. So I think he's been left very much in limbo. He was told he could go, but it didn't happen."
He continued:
"So he knows now that he is not really among those players that the manager wants to use, it's going to be difficult for him. The window is still open in other countries, whether somebody else comes in for him, that's still possible too, but it's hard to see him forcing his way into the Chelsea team. He's going to have to hope for a couple of injuries I think to get back in and get a run."
Turkey could be a possible destination for the Spaniard, with the transfer window open there until Friday.