Roman Abramovich gives green light for £150m triple Chelsea raid

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has reportedly given transfer fixer Marina Granovskaia the green light to spend in excess of £150million on three new signings.
Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz and Declan Rice are the trio, adding to the arrivals of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner.
Chelsea have made a breakthrough in their bid to sign Leicester City left-back Chilwell, with contract details revealed ahead of the deal.
Express Sport understands the two clubs have agreed a £50million fee for Chilwell.
The 23-year-old is expected to undergo a medical over the weekend, as he prepares to become club’s third summer signing.
Chilwell is then likely to be followed through the arrivals door by Havertz.
The Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder is eager to make the switch to Stamford Bridge after a brilliant Bundesliga campaign.
Havertz is likely to be more costly than Chilwell, with Leverkusen demanding up to £90m for the 21-year-old.
The report adds that once Havertz is done, Frank Lampard will then switch his attention to West Ham star Rice.
New role for Rice
Despite playing as a holding midfielder with the Hammers, Lampard believes the 22-year-old’s long-term future is at centre-back.
West Ham are demanding up to £80m for Rice, but the Express claims that figure is not deterring their Premier League rivals.
Chelsea conceded 54 goals in the Premier League last term – the worst record in the top 10. That stat has prompted Lampard to look closely at his rearguard.
PSG veteran Thiago Silva is in talks over a switch to Stamford Bridge. And the addition of Rice would give Chelsea a new-look centre-back pairing.
Chelsea will also look to sell a number of fringe players to raise some funds. With the report adding that Abramovich has given club chiefs the nod to spend more than £50m on each player.
Meanwhile, Manchester United could reportedly sign Chelsea midfielder N’Golo Kante, if Frank Lampard makes him available for the right price. Read more…