Gossip: £62m Chelsea flop still on Arsenal’s radar as Pochettino eyes move for new No. 1 goalkeeper
Chelsea are reportedly willing to sell Mykhaylo Mudryk and Arsenal remain interested. They couldn’t, could they? Also, five Premier League clubs want Tammy Abraham.
ARSENAL BACK IN FOR MUDRYK?
Mykhaylo Mudryk to Arsenal was quite the transfer story once upon a time. A move from Shakhtar Donetsk looked inevitable in January before Chelsea swooped in and took advantage of the Gunners’ reluctance to meet the Ukrainian club’s massive asking price.
It would be fair to say it has not quite happened for Mudryk at Stamford Bridge. Meanwhile, Arsenal’s alternative signing, Leandro Trossard, has been an undoubted success in north London.
The interest from Mikel Arteta remains, however. This is according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, who says Mudryk could be sold or loaned by the Blues.
The 22-year-old’s performances have improved under Mauricio Pochettino but he is still far away from justifying the initial £62million transfer fee the west Londoners paid to sign him from Shakhtar. His ‘difficult adaptation’ to the Premier League means Chelsea are ‘thinking about’ selling the young winger.
A loan deal is also a possibility and it is actually claimed that Mudryk’s departure is ‘likely’ with Italian giants Juventus and Arsenal ’emerging as the main candidates’ to land him in a permanent deal.
CHELSEA WANT SPAIN NO. 1
While Chelsea need to sell a few players, they are still in the market for one or two positions, despite splashing out £1billion since Todd Boehly bought the club last year.
Everyone and their dog knows they need a striker, but a new goalkeeper is also a priority for Pochettino, with doubts over making summer signing Robert Sanchez as the club’s long-term No. 1.
Sticking with the incredibly reliable Fichajes, one shot-stopper the Blues are looking at is Athletic Bilbao’s Unai Simon, because signing a goalkeeper from the Basque club worked before, didn’t it?
Fichajes refers to a report from 90min, who says Chelsea are interested in making Simon a ‘key player’ under Pochettino, and the Spanish website says the Blues had scouts in attendance to see Simon in action against Valencia on Sunday.
Chelsea are not the only club looking at the Spain No. 1, though it is claimed that Pochettino is ‘looking for a goalkeeper who can guarantee success for years to come’ despite the summer additions of Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic.
FIVE PL CLUBS IN FOR SERIE A STRIKER
Tammy Abraham seems destined to return to the Premier League; it is a case of when, not if.
Chelsea – who sold the England striker to AS Roma – are one of the clubs being linked with a 2024 transfer but this report from Calciomercato.it says Aston Villa are keen after being ‘one step away’ from landing Abraham in the summer transfer window. A serious injury to the player changed the Villans’ plans, however.
London trio Brentford, who are expected to sell Ivan Toney, Fulham and West Ham are also in the race to sign the former Chelsea striker, the report claims.
Abraham’s lengthy absence is not expected to deter interested clubs, with his price likely to be a lot more respectable given the circumstances. When he was at the peak of his powers for Roma, there was talk of him costing at least £70m. Not anymore.
Roma’s ‘dream’ would be to swap Abraham for Romelu Lukaku, who is on loan from Chelsea for the season. Would the Blues agree to that deal? Hmm…
Premier League winners and losers: Spurs, Villa and Nketiah thrive; Ten Hag, Chelsea don’t