Chelsea eyeing shock move for £40m EPL ace, Chelsea battle Liverpool for £80m Serie A Star

Chelsea are considering landing Southampton right-back Kyle Walker-Peters, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The 25-year-old is seen as a player who can provide competition for Reece James on the right side of Thomas Tuchel’s defence.

According to The Sun claimed last month that Southampton have put a £40 million price tag on Walker-Peters, who has been vital at St Mary’s since joining from Spurs.

Walker-Peters began his career at Tottenham Hotspur before moving to Southampton on a permanent deal in 2020. He enjoyed a strong campaign last term, featuring 37 times for the Saints and chipping in with two goals and four assists.

His performances for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side saw him earn his first call-up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad, and has now attracted interest from Chelsea.

The Blues have missed out on several defensive targets, with Matthijs de Ligt, Presnel Kimpembe, Nathan Ake and Jules Kounde all not joining for various reasons, forcing Todd Boehly to reassess his transfer strategies.

They are locked in negotiations with Brighton & Hove Albion to complete the signing of Marc Cucurella but are also looking at other defensive options.

Chelsea had identified Inter Milan’s Denzel Dumfries as a primary target to challenge James, but the Nerazzurri are adamant that the Dutchman is not for sale.

However, the Blues are not prepared to back down and will try to convince the Italians to sell, hoping their financial situation would change their minds about offloading him.

Walker-Peters has been discussed internally at Stamford Bridge, but whether or not they move for him depends on what happens with Dumfries.

The Englishman would prove a shrewd acquisition for the Blues as he is capable of playing on either side of the defence.

However, his valuation could prove to be a stumbling block as it is unlikely that the west Londoners would match Southampton’s asking price to acquire his services.

Tuchel has already welcomed Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly to the team but has hinted the club needs to strengthen further if they want to compete for trophies this season.

Chelsea kick-off their Premier League campaign on the road as they travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Saturday.

Chelsea battle Liverpool for £80m Serie A star

According to CMW (h/t Liverpool Echo), Chelsea have joined the race to land Italian superstar Nicolo Barella amidst interest from Liverpool.

The Blues are rebuilding under Todd Boehly and will be keen to get the new era off to a good start. Landing Barella would be a statement of sorts for the Blues.

The Inter Milan ace is already on the radar of top European clubs this summer and the Nerazzurri value the 25-year-old central midfielder highly. They are unwilling to part ways with the player for anything below £80m.

Barella joined Inter on loan initially from Cagliari in the summer of 2019 and was part of the Italian squad which won the Euro 2020 at Wembley.

He racked up three goals and 13 assists playing as a Central Midfielder over the 2021/22 league campaign. He started just one game as a defensive midfielder the whole season, against Sassuolo in Serie A. His box-to-box style of play can suit both Chelsea and Liverpool, with the former also looking for a long-term replacement for midfield mainstay Ngolo Kante.

As far as a Liverpool perspective is concerned, The Reds ideally would have Barella on board as our starting midfield is starting to age and are on the wrong side of the thirties.

Barella is currently penned down long to Inter as his contract expires only in the summer of 2026. A move to Anfield this summer could prove to be unlikely as Jurgen Klopp ruled out any more signings unless any of the other fringe midfielders move on.

With Chelsea’s brewing interests, Liverpool would hope to act soon so that a Premier League rival does not get hold of a long-term transfer target.