TENTH Chelsea signing on ‘final stretch’ as journalist reveals eye-watering sum set to be spent

Chelsea have already signed a whopping nine players this summer but are on the verge of welcoming a 10th to Stamford Bridge for a slightly bigger fee than expected, according to reports.

For the third summer in a row, Chelsea have been spending heavily on new players. Some of their marquee arrivals this year have included Pedro Neto, Filip Jorgensen and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. However, criticism has been widespread.

On one hand, most people believe Chelsea have assembled a squad far too big to be manageable for Enzo Maresca. On the other hand, some observers still feel they have gaps to fill in their roster.

One area they are looking at upgrading further is their attack. In that regard, they have been working on moves for Napoli centre-forward Victor Osimhen and Atletico Madrid attacker Joao Felix.

The latest update regards Felix, who already spent the second half of the 2022-23 season on loan at Chelsea and is now close to returning on a permanent basis a year after.

According to Spanish reporter Ruben Uria, the deal for Felix to join Chelsea for his second spell is now on the ‘final stretch’ – but the value of the operation will be higher than initially reported.

Just a few days ago, Chelsea were believed to be close to a breakthrough for Felix by offering €46m plus €5m in bonuses. But now, Uria claims even the up-front payment will be €50m (£42.6m) – and the €5m of bonuses will be on top of that.

It would put Felix in the top 20 most expensive Chelsea signings of all time – and that’s before factoring in the €11m they spent for his loan spell before.

TEAMtalk sources state the cost for Felix will be just over £40m, with the deal set to be completed.

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Exact sums in Chelsea part-exchange revealed

Of course, there is a caveat with the amount Chelsea are spending on Felix this time, since it is now an element of a part-exchange deal involving Conor Gallagher’s move in the opposite direction.

According to Uria, the value of Gallagher’s move to Atleti will be a fixed €42m. In other words, Chelsea are banking more than £35m of pure profit on academy graduate Gallagher, and spending just a fraction more – at first – to land Felix (whom Atleti will be able to make a capital gain on).

But with the Portugal international not being an out-and-out no.9 either, questions will linger about whether Chelsea have the right profile of players in their forward line. A move for Osimhen afterwards, which would be their most expensive of the summer, may still be necessary.

Does Joao Felix deserve a second chance at Chelsea after his previous spell? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/iVSC6XfNQB

— TEAMtalk (@TEAMtalk) August 12, 2024

Felix largely played on the left wing for Barcelona last season during his last loan spell away from Atleti. In his first Chelsea spell, which was under the management of Graham Potter and then Frank Lampard, his gametime was split between that wide-left role and a more central one.

It will be fascinating to see how Maresca fits Felix in, depending on the formation he uses. Although the signing won’t be done in time for their season opener against reigning champions Manchester City on Sunday, there could be some clues as to the new head coach’s system.

Their best player last season was ex-City prospect Cole Palmer, who can operate on the right wing or as a no.10. There is also then Neto – a £60m investment – who can play on either wing and Felix who can fit into a variety of attacking roles, before any potential icing-on-the-cake signing of a striker.

In the department directly behind, it remains to be seen how their midfield evolves in the post-Gallagher era. The 24-year-old had entered the final year of his Chelsea contract and the club hierarchy viewed his situation as an opportunity to balance the books, despite the fact that he sometimes captained the side under Mauricio Pochettino last season.

He now has the chance to become the 23rd English player in La Liga history.