£60m star ‘will go to Chelsea’ but expert warns of ‘attitude problems’

A top European football expert has warned Chelsea of the pitfalls of signing Xavi Simons in the summer transfer window, while the RB Leipzig attacking midfielder has been told about the star Blues player that he will have to compete with at Stamford Bridge.

After winning the Conference League and finishing in the Premier League top five last season, Chelsea won the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in July. Enzo Maresca’s side are now planning to win the Premier League title in the 2025/26 campaign and also make a huge impact in the Champions League.

To that end, Chelsea have been very active in the summer transfer window, with Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Jorrel Hato, Liam Delap, Estevao and Dario Essugo the new players in Maresca’s squad.

Chelsea are not done yet this summer, with the London club keen on securing the services of RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Xavi Simons.

TEAMtalk’s transfer correspondent, Fraser Fletcher, reported on July 24 that Simons is ready to join Chelsea and has given his approval to a deal.

Sources have told TEAMtalk that RB Leipzig want £60 million (€69m, $81m) for Simons, who played both as a left-winger and as an attacking midfielder last season and scored 11 goals and gave eight assists in 33 appearances in the 2024/25 campaign.

European football expert, Kevin Hatchard, believes that Simons will join Chelsea, but he has noted rumours of ‘attitude problems’ that have been spoken about the 22-year-old Netherlands international star in the German media.

Hatchard said on talkSPORT: “I think he will go to Chelsea.

“I think that seems to be the way the wind’s blowing. And he’s a player they’ve been looking for.

“I think that’s the move he’ll make. He has been a player that has been very good for Leipzig in general.

“He scores goals, he makes goals, he’s always trying to affect the game. He’s a real puzzle, Xavi, because I like watching him play. I like what he brings to a game. He’s got really silky skills.

“He has a great awareness of what’s around him. He’s scored some lovely goals. There’s loads to like about him.”

The expert added: “But the debate in Germany, rightly or wrongly, and I genuinely don’t know, because you hear rumours around clubs, but it’d be unfair for me to say that I know, because I don’t.

“But the debate in Germany has been: Is he a team player? Does he have attitude problems? All of that.

“Now, that might be paper talk. That might be just media noise, and it just isn’t true, because there are some coaches that speak up for him.

“But there are also coaches that have alluded to, he could be more of a team player, his attitude could be different, etc.”

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Xavi Simons faces Cole Palmer competition at Chelsea

Hatchard has also noted the competition that Simons will face from Cole Palmer at Chelsea.

Palmer is the playmaker-in-chief at the London club, and it is very unlikely that Maresca will move the Englishman into a different position to accommodate Simons.

Hatchard said: “What I’m fascinated by is if he does go to Chelsea, how does he deal with not being the main man? Because he won’t be, because Cole Palmer’s the main man.

“He plays in Cole Palmer’s position. So, he’s not going to be the main man. They might play him off the left, because he naturally gravitates to the left anyway.

“But I’m just fascinated to see how he deals with it, because it’s not a work rate thing. The work rate’s there, because you don’t play for Leipzig if you don’t work without the ball. It’s not that.

“It’s just these rumours, and they might be totally unfair, but they are quite persistent.

“So, if he’s going to get to that elite level, that next level, then you need all of it, and those rumours might have to go away.”

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