Here are the Chelsea evening headlines on Saturday, May 30.
Chelsea turn attention to Sancho alternative - report
As Manchester United press on in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, Chelsea are said to be turning their attention to other targets as they prepare themselves to miss out on the Englishman.
Per Goal, Chelsea are strongly considering Villarreal’s Samu Chukwueze as a potential Sancho alternative.
The 21-year-old has four goals and four assists this season and is renowned for his speed and dribbling ability. While those numbers pale in comparison to Sancho’s 14 goals and 16 assists, in a contorted, subdued market, Chelsea may have to look for cheaper alternatives that they can then develop themselves.
Wilfried Zaha was also named as a possible target, though his hefty price tag will be a serious hurdle, while Porto’s Jesus Corona is another option after his agent confirmed that Chelsea made contact earlier this year.
Werner told to snub Liverpool
Christian Falk of Sport Bild claims that Chelsea defender, Antonio Rudiger, is trying to convince Timo Werner to snub Liverpool’s advances and join him at Stamford Bridge.
Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool are said to be playing ‘transfer poker’ with Werner as they deliberate on whether to make a move for the RB Leipzig striker, who notched his 22nd, 23rd and 24th goals in a 5-0 hammering of Mainz last weekend.
As Liverpool delay their decision, Chelsea, who are in need of a striker with Tammy Abraham, Olivier Giroud and Michy Batshuayi the only recognised centre forwards in the squad, could yet swoop in, especially if Rudiger has anything to say about it.
He and Werner are friends from their time with the German national team and Stuttgart prior to their respective careers taking off. Rudiger is said to be keen to see his friend join him at Chelsea as Frank Lampard looks to build an attack capable of challenging the Premier League elite.
Bernadeschi wants Premier League move - report
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Juventus midfielder Federico Bernadeschi would welcome a move to England and the Premier League if he was to leave the Old Lady this summer.
Since Maurizio Sarri’s arrival in Turin last summer, Bernadeschi has seen his appearances drop consistently, making 18 Serie A appearances all season, of which just nine are starts, totalling 795 minutes. His last league start came on December 7th.
Chelsea, Arsenal, and Manchester United have been named as potential landing spots, but the Blues have a significant advantage if they indeed want to bring Bernadeschi to Stamford Bridge.
Sarri is a huge admirer of Jorginho having brought him to Chelsea from Napoli two years ago. With Lampard looking to rebuild his team, he could use Jorginho as a makeweight in a form of swap deal. Finances will be tight this summer and these types of deals will be extremely prevalent. Perhaps Chelsea, then, could take advantage of their former manager’s opinions.
