Chelsea reportedly have a series of brilliant moves in their attempt to sign Dutch playmaker Xavi Simons. The German outlet Sky Deutschland insinuated that the Blues might employ Carney Chukwuemeka as a bargaining chip in the transaction.
Simons, 22, is regarded as the most brilliant European prodigy who has already played in the Netherlands, Spain, France, and Germany. Now, Chelsea want to add England to his growing list of achievements. The transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano has given his word that the Premier League club have initiated talks with the representatives of Simons and “continue to advance” to reach a personal agreement but haven’t made a formal offer to RB Leipzig yet.
On the other hand, Leipzig have also set their sights on Chukwuemeka, who was on loan for the second half of last season at Borussia Dortmund. The 21-year-old player got compliments from manager Niko Kovač but has come back to Chelsea, where the new boss Enzo Maresca has reportedly confirmed there is no place for him.
Leipzig appraise Simons to be worth approximately €70 million (£60.8m), a sum that could send Chelsea’s summer outlay past the €300 million mark. The transaction might have issues if Chelsea do not want to lend out Chukwuemeka once again, whereas it is not clear whether Leipzig are still ready to negotiate. At Stamford Bridge, there would be a very crowded attacking line-up with Simons joining, which would be led by Cole Palmer and João Pedro.