Chelsea eye statement £98m double Man City raid as Maresca details rival job offer

Chelsea are interested in two Manchester City stars, with a journalist detailing their pursuit of exciting young attacker Oscar Bobb, while Enzo Maresca has spoken about the offers he received earlier this year.

Chelsea have had another busy transfer window as they continue to revamp the first-team squad, this time with new manager Maresca in mind. Players such as Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr, Ian Maatsen and Omari Hutchinson have left, while Atletico Madrid have struck an agreement for Conor Gallagher and are now waiting on the midfielder’s decision.

Chelsea have, in turn, signed Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman, Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley and Filip Jorgensen.

The West London side could yet bolster their ranks with a double Man City raid, too. According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Todd Boehly and other members of the Chelsea hierarchy are big fans of Bobb, City’s 21-year-old forward who can operate as a winger on either side or in the No 10 role.

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Bobb joined City’s youth setup in July 2019 and has since forced his way into the senior squad, where he has made 26 appearances so far.

The Norwegian does not get to start for City too often, due to Pep Guardiola’s incredible options in attack, but he has looked very sharp when he has featured.

Chelsea recruitment chiefs have been impressed by Bobb’s rise and believe he has elite potential, which has got the Blues thinking about an audacious summer swoop.

Bobb is valued at more than £21m, while City have managed to tie him down to a long-term contract which runs until June 2029.

Chelsea transfers: Alvarez, Bobb both targeted

The starlet is understood to be happy at City, though Chelsea could try to convince him on a summer switch by pointing out the success that Cole Palmer has had since swapping Etihad for Stamford Bridge.

Bobb is not the only City ace Chelsea are eyeing up, either. They are understood to be keeping tabs on striker Julian Alvarez, who has been open about his frustrations at City.

Alvarez wants to start up front on a weekly basis, but Guardiola cannot guarantee that while Erling Haaland is also in his squad.

The race for Alvarez is heating up, with Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Atleti all keen to engineer a big deal, while Arsenal have also been linked.

There have been conflicting reports on how much the Argentine will cost, though. City insider Sam Lee has stated that the reigning Premier League champions want an initial £60m, plus £17m in potential add-ons, while Football Insider claimed on Wednesday that he could be available for just £40m.

Meanwhile, Maresca has spoken about the proposals he received after guiding Leicester City to the Championship title last season.

“To be honest since I finished with Leicester, it was after a few days, a few weeks, Chelsea contacted me,” he said.

“But there was also another important club that contacted me so the summer has been busy.

“I decided for Chelsea, first of all because Chelsea were more aggressive. After two or three meetings they were clear.

“The other one was just one or two approaches and when they saw Chelsea, they asked me: ‘Do we still have time or is it too late?’ But by then I had already taken my decision.”

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