Chelsea

Chelsea

Premier League • England

Transfer Gossip: Chelsea close on four major signings as Todd Boehly prepares incredible £358m outlay; Leeds beat Man Utd to attacking target

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of FC Barcelona celebrating his second goal of the match with Ferran Torres of FC Barcelona, Frenkie de Jong of FC Barcelona during the Spanish La Liga Santander match between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona at Estadio Santiago Bernabéu

Chelsea are ready to make four new signings, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang the first one in, Manchester United’s miserable transfer window has continued with Leeds beating them to an attacker, while Thursday’s Transfer Gossip has details of an ambitious Nottingham Forest move for a Lyon star.

PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAYEMANG TO KICKSTART HUGE CHELSEA SPLURGE

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly is preparing to sanction four big-name signings in the next couple of weeks that will cost the club a combined £190m.

The Blues owner is taking up his stewardship of Chelsea seriously after taking over from Roman Abramovich. Any fears theur lavish spending would end following the Russian’s exit have been emphatically dismissed in the opening weeks of the Boehly era.

Indeed, he has already invested £168m to sign Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka and Gabriel Slonina.

And deals for his next four targets will take his summer spending to an incredible £358m!

To that end, Sky Sports reports the Blues are closing on the signings of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Frenkie de Jong. The pair are being allowed to leave Barca as the LaLiga club look to balance the books.

As it stands, they are unable to register new signings, meaning new signings Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie could depart on Saturday for free.

However, it seems Chelsea are about to become Barca’s savours by digging them out of a serious financial hole.

The first man to arrive will be Aubameyang. The former Arsenal striker joined Barca on a free in January and has made a decent start, scoring 13 times in 23 games.

However, the arrival of Robert Lewandowski means he is no longer needed. The Blaugrana will collect a £25m fee for the 33-year-old. And  Aubameyang is eager to return to London and play for his former Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel again.

Frenkie de Jong to follow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

Next through the door will be Frenkie de Jong, his Barcelona teammate. His future has been shrouded in doubt all summer with Barcelona looking to sell him.

A move to Manchester United has seemingly now been closed off. But a move to Chelsea looks on the cards, with a life in London and the offer of Champions League football enough to convince him to move. The Blues are willing to match the £73m fee United had agreed.

Following the double arrival from Barcelona, Chelsea will get to work on two further additions.

To that end, they are also looking to close out a deal for Wesley Fofana. Two of their opening offers for the player have failed.

But a third bid, reportedly worth in the region of £80m, will be accepted by Leicester. The French defender has made it clear to the club that he wants to leave and play for their Premier League rivals.

Chelsea could swoop in for Frenkie de Jong

Chelsea could swoop in for Frenkie de Jong

Chelsea are still in the race for Manchester United target Frenkie de Jong as he continues to stall on a move.

The final piece of business for the Blues will be a less household name; that being Cesare Casadei.

The 19-year-old is free to leave Inter Milan this summer, with a number of clubs keen.

Nice are reportedly in the mix to sign the midfielder, but Chelsea will reportedly beat them to the punch. The fee for Casadei will be £12m.

LEEDS TO BEAT MAN UTD TO ISMAILA SARR

Manchester United are due to suffer more transfer misery with Leeds reportedly beating them to the signing of Ismaila Sarr.

The Senegalese winger finds himself a man in demand after starting the season in fine form for Watford. He has been a shining light for the Hornets during his three seasons at the club. Indeed, he has 25 goals in 94 appearances, while also adding 11 assists. That means he has a goal contribution every 2.6 appearances.

Despite his best efforts, Sarr was unable to keep the Hornets in the Premier League last season. Indeed, they suffered a miserable season as they succumbed to the drop once again.

Ismaila Sarr, Watford, in Premier League action

Now back in the Championship, it seems Sarr’s stint at Watford is coming to an end.

Indeed, as per reports on Wednesday, Leeds are closing on his signature.

Now The Sun claims they are ready to push through that signing, which will cost in the region of £23.6m.

Sarr is also keen on the move to Elland Road, with personal terms unlikely to be a problem.

Incredibly, the paper claims Leeds are set to beat Manchester United to his signature.

Technical director Darrem Fletcher was in attendance on Monday night as he witnessed Sarr score from the halfway line against West Brom.

The Red Devils are seemingly looking at Sarr in case a move for Cody Gakpo fails.

However, the Whites will beat them to the punch with a deal already seemingly close.

Ambitious Nottingham Forest see Houssam Aouar bid fail

Lyon have rejected an offer from Nottingham Forest for Houssem Aouar, according to reports.

The Tricky Trees have invested heavily around £100m this summer, signing 12 new players to strengthen their squad. Indeed, after a 23-year absence from the Premier League, they are seemingly determined to ensure their stay is not a brief one.

To that end, the likes of Taiwo Awoniyi, Jesse Lingard, Dean Henderson and Neco Williams have all signed in high-profile deals. The first of those cost Forest a club-record fee.

Lyon central midfielder Houssem Aouar

But it seems Steve Cooper’s side are not done yet, with an ambitious move for Aouar now revealed.

The Lyon star is regarded as one of the best midfielders in Ligue 1. Linked with Liverpool and Arsenal in the past, the 24-year-old has amassed over 200 appearances for hometown club Lyon.

Now the Daily Mail claims Nottingham Forest have launched an offer, with the player open to moving to England.

However, their opening offer has been rejected, with Leicester also considering an approach of their own.

The Foxes see Aouar as an ideal replacement for Youri Tielemans, who appears destined to leave this summer.