Chelsea gunning for double deal that’ll wreck Man Utd and Arsenal plans, with Boehly believing eye-watering sum will net goal machine
It’s a case of both, not one or the other, with regards to two attacking Chelsea signings this month that could wreck the plans of Man Utd and Arsenal, per a trusted source.
The Blues were world football’s biggest spenders last summer, forking out around £280m on new arrivals. Fast forward six months and Todd Boehly and co. are doubling down.
They’ve already wrapped up a deal to bring Christopher Nkunku on board at season’s end. More imminent arrivals have already been secured in the form of Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos and David Datro Fofana.
Regardless, Chelsea’s business is far from concluded and per CBS Sports’ Ben Jacobs, two high-profile attacking arrivals are on the agenda.
Jacobs confirmed Chelsea aim to sign both Mykhaylo Mudryk and Marcus Thuram this month. It’s not a case of one or the other.
Mudryk is understood to prefer a move to Arsenal who have already tabled two bids. The last was worth around £62m in total, but Shakhtar Donetsk believe they can recoup more.
Chelsea are reportedly prepared to bid slightly higher than Arsenal if push comes to shove. However, it’s claimed they aren’t willing to meet the sum Shakhtar have publicly pointed to – €100m (approx. £88m).
Chelsea will ‘seriously push’ for Mudryk if it becomes apparent they’ve got a genuine chance of signing the Ukrainian winger.
That may be reliant on Arsenal walking away from the move given the Gunners are the 22-year-old’s preferred choice.
In good news for Blues fans, the Mirror recently reported Arsenal may well abandon their Mudryk chase and funnel their funds towards Joao Felix instead.
Chelsea want Man Utd target Marcus Thuram right now
Marcus Thuram, meanwhile, is out of contract in the summer and has been strongly linked with a move away six months early.
Man Utd have been linked and Thuram’s contract status means the France international could be a viable target despite United’s limited budget.
The 25-year-old has been in fine form this term, notching 13 goals in 17 matches across all competitions for Borussia Monchengladbach.
German publication Bild recently reported Gladbach are having second thoughts about cashing in on Thuram this month.
Their reasoning stems from the reduced fee they’d be able to command (around £10m), and the fact Thuram’s goals could fire them to Europa League qualification which would net a similar cash injection anyway.
However, Jacobs reported Chelsea ‘firmly believe’ they can get Gladbach to sign off on a deal for a sum as low as £8.5m.
That would represent an incredible bargain for a player whose true value would be far higher if not for his contract status.
What’s more, paying £8.5m now as opposed to signing Thuram for free in the summer could be worth every penny if his goals help fire Chelsea into the top four, potentially at Man Utd’s expense.
Jacobs concluded whether Thuram does depart Gladbach in January will hinge on the player himself. If he decides now it the right time to move on, Gladbach seemingly won’t stand in his way.
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