Chelsea chasing three players in £100m deadline day spree

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is set to arrive from Barcelona while deals for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol and another midfielder are being worked on

Miguel Delaney
Chief Football Writer
Thursday 01 September 2022 10:55 BST
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Chelsea are set to finish the window with the sort of spree that has defined their summer, as they seek to spend more than £100million on three options.

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang set to complete a drawn out move for the former Arsenal captain after a compromise on a two-year contract was reached while Thomas Tuchel still wants another midfielder.

The club are also attempting to finalise a move to sign Josko Gvardiol at the end of the season, although that deal is complicated by the Croatian international extending his contract at RB Leipzig.

Chelsea had been investigating other attacking options due to the demands of both Barcelona and Aubameyang, but it was ultimately felt a deal was one of those that best suited all parties.

Aubameyang's camp compromised on the extent of the deal, and Chelsea and Barcelona are now closer on the valuation of the player. There had previously been a £10m difference.

A move for a midfielder could prove more complicated, with Tuchel liking Edson Alvarez, but Ajax completely reluctant to sell due to the extent of their outgoings this summer.

The only reason they let Antony go to Manchester United was because of the huge price - "too much to leave on the table", in the words of one source - and Chelsea's current £43m valuation of Alvarez is too short to change their position.

Discussions with Barcelona have naturally seen Frenkie De Jong brought up, and the player's family are more open to moving to London than Manchester. It would still require a considerable change to happen at this stage of the window.

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