Here are the Chelsea morning headlines for Thursday, August 6.
Chelsea close to Gimenez - report
Chelsea are expected to sign Atletico Madrid centre-back Jose Gimenez after the Spanish club’s Champions League campaign is over.
Frank Lampard’s side face Bayern Munich in the second leg of their last-16 clash on Saturday, while Atletico are already through to the quarter-finals.
Lampard is keen to bolster his backline ahead of next season after Chelsea conceded more goals than any other top-half Premier League team in 2019/20.
According to Football Insider, the Blues boss has identified Gimenez as the man to strengthen the defence.
And, according to the report, Chelsea will submit an offer for the £60million-rated Uruguayan once Atletico’s season is over.
Gundogan backs Havertz
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan believes Kai Havertz will surpass Michael Ballack’s achievements in the game.
Havertz has been likened to Ballack since he made the breakthrough with Bayer Leverkusen in 2016.
The attacking midfielder is Chelsea’s leading transfer target, with the Blues tipped to complete a £90m deal for the Germany international.
And Gundogan, who has played alongside Havertz at international level, believes he is a hugely gifted player..
"In my opinion, Havertz is even better than Ballack in terms of his playing ability,” he told SportBild (via Goal).
"Ballack had a certain level of aggression in his game, and a strong mentality. He was a top player of the previous generation."
Chelsea face Telles competition
Manchester United are also interested in Chelsea target Alex Telles, according to Correjo de Manha (via talkSPORT).
Telles has regularly been linked with a transfer to Stamford Bridge as Lampard seeks an upgrade at left-back.
The Brazil international could be on the move from Porto this summer after four years with the club.
But Chelsea risk missing out on the 27-year-old, as United are reportedly in advanced talks to sign him.
