Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf has warned his old club against signing Borussia Dortmund goalscoring machine Erling Haaland this summer.
Stamford Bridge bosses reportedly have the Norwegian as their top target, despite the player himself suggesting he does not want a move to west London. Haaland, who is also wanted by Manchester United and Liverpool, has previously hinted he could stay at Dortmund.
The forward said: “I still have three years of contract. I am not upset about that.
“The media are the ones who write about it, I don’t focus on those things. I want to improve every day.”
Those comments are not expected to put suitors off, however, with a £100million deal potentially on the cards.
Indeed, another report on Tuesday claimed that the marksman had dropped a small hint he could be ready to move.
But despite the obvious benefits of having one of the world’s best strikers on their books, Leboeuf thinks Chelsea should steer clear.
The Frenchman believes the Blues should focus on getting the most out of their current crop of stars.
“Haaland is a beast. Of course it would be a plus for Chelsea,” Leboeuf told Sky Sports News. “But now you have to think financially and economically, and you also have to also think and make sure your dressing room is going to be following the coach.
“If you put Haaland (in the team) you lose [Olivier] Giroud. But you might lose [Kai] Havertz, you might lose Werner as well. What about [Christian] Pulisic? Where are you going to play [Hakim] Ziyech?
“That is an equation that you have to make sure is going to work and that the results are going to be good for the club.
“You can add talents, that is not a problem. But you have to make sure the chemistry works. Otherwise it is going for disaster. Having only talent doesn’t make sure you are going to win something.”
Wise words from the Chelsea old boy, but that is unlikely to deter the Blues from going big again this summer.
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Chelsea told of big Tomori blunder
Meanwhile, Chelsea have been told they have blundered allowing Fikayo Tomori to leave so cheaply – with one Italian pundit explaining why he already exceeds a far pricier counterpart in three areas.
Tomori sealed a loan move to the Serie A club in January after falling down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge. He was allowed to depart after previous boss Frank Lampard decided he was not part of his immediate plans.
The defender is due to return to London at the end of the season. However, the Serie A title chasers did manage to secure an option to buy the centre-half for a fee of £25m.
At the time, that fee looked quite steep. However, Tomori’s huge impact in Italy means Milan will likely take that up. Furthermore, they’ve even been tipped to sign him up and then sell him on for an enormos profit.
Chelsea probably did not expect Tomori to have the impact that he’s had in Serie A. Despite having played just 12 games so far, he’s won rave reviews and many observers have been won over.
Indeed, Paolo Ziliani, an Italian pundit, claims Tomori has already eclipsed Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt as the best young defender in Serie A. Furthermore, he’s intimated that allowing him to leave for the San Siro could be a decision Chelsea come to regret.
Ziliani reckons Tomori is better than De Ligt in three key areas.
“One thing Milan cannot fail to do is pay Chelsea the €28million for Tomori. If it cost €35m for Tonali, which isn’t worth it (at least for now) Bennacer and Kessi, Tomori at €28m is a bargain.
“For anticipation, speed and agility he is better than De Ligt, who cost Juve €85.5m.”
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