Chelsea put finishing touches to £53m attacking deal as Boehly savagely tells Lampard signing he’s one of six to go

Chelsea are reported to have finalised the signing of their next big arrival, with a £53m deal now complete to bring the player to Stamford Bridge from July 1.

The Blues have invested heavily since Todd Boehly took charge last summer. Indeed, during his first two transfer windows, the Blues have smashed through the £500m barrier. And with 17 players coming through the welcome doors, it seems Chelsea are far from done yet.

Indeed, while Graham Potter now has something of a swelled squad to work with in SW6, there remains further plans to add more new faces to the squad.

And while competition for places has never been tougher, Boehly is ready to spend even more money on squad upgrades.

To that end, the Blues are reportedly keen to make Joao Felix’s loan from Atletico Madrid into a permanent deal. Furthermore, Chelsea are also in the market for a new midfielder. To that end, a report on Monday claimed the club had a four-man transfer shortlist.

One deal the Blues have had lined up for some time now is that of Christopher Nkunku. Indeed, news emerged last year that the Blues had negotiated a deal with RB Leipzig to bring the French attacker to London.

Indeed, it was just a case of when that deal would go through. And at one stage it seemed possible that a January arrival could come around.

Ultimately though, Nkunku wanted to see out the season with RB Leipzig. And the player is part of a Leipzig squad hoping to reach the Champions League quarter-finals at Man City’s expense on Tuesday evening.

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Nkunku deal done and dusted for Chelsea

However, reports in Germany now claim the deal for Nkunku has all been agreed. Chelsea will pay £53m for the forward, with the 25-year-old set to sign a five-year deal.

Indeed, that arrangement is likely to go through on July 1, with reports on Monday claiming Nkunku already considers himself a Chelsea player.

The star boasts an excellent record in front of goal after establishing himself as one of the Bundesliga’s leading lights. Indeed, last season he registered 35 goals from 52 appearances. This season, he has 17 goals from 27 games so far.

It will be interesting to see where Potter utilises the star, given he likes to fill a similar position to that occupied by Mason Mount, Kai Havertz and Felix.

However, doubts continue to linger over Mount’s future and with his deal expiring in summer 2024, he could well find himself leaving.

That said, the Blues do still very much value Mount and will try and arrange a new deal with him first.

Mendy likely to the first of six Chelsea stars to leave

That said, Chelsea will place a big emphasis on allowing a portion of players to depart this summer.

And according to 90min, Boehly, after holding talks with Potter, has decided to let Champions League winning goalkeeper Edouard Mendy leave.

The Senegalese goalkeeper has lost his way this season with Kepa now firmly established as No 1. As such, they are reportedly making him available for transfer and will listen to offers for the 31-year-old.

Indeed, he won’t be the only departure either. And the report claims Christian Pulisic, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Hakim Ziyech all also free to leave Stamford Bridge.

In addition, there are growing doubts over the futures of two midfielders in Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Mateo Kovacic.

Both players will be in the final year of their contracts come the summer and it appears neither will be offered new deals.

Kovacic’s exit will be something of a surprise with the player a regular starter over the past few seasons. Indeed, he has made 210 appearances during his five seasons at the club.

Loftus-Cheek, meanwhile, has 148 appearances to his name, but has never really been considered a regular.

Any decision on Kovacic, however, may well depend on N’Golo Kante. His deal expires this summer and Chelsea are reportedly close to securing him to an extension.

Should that happen, Chelsea will likely listen to offers for the 28-year-old Croatian instead.

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