Everton have reportedly agreed a deal to sign Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, while the Blues are also preparing to sell Lesley Ugochukwu to Burnley.
Dewsbury-Hall joined Chelsea last summer in a deal worth £30 million ($39.8 million), following manager Enzo Maresca from Leicester City, but was not a regular starter at Stamford Bridge this past season. While he made 36 appearances across all competitions, he played just 258 minutes in the Premier League and instead found most of his opportunities in the Conference League.
While Chelsea were not believed to be desperate to sell Dewsbury-Hall, he was among the players allowed to leave for the right price, and Fabrizio Romano revealed an initial approach from Everton over a permanent transfer.
A further update just hours later confirmed a deal had been agreed to take Dewsbury-Hall to Merseyside.
The Blues are set to receive an initial £25 million ($33.2 million), with add-ons to take the deal just short of the £30 million Chelsea paid 12 months ago.
Ugochukwu is heading for the Stamford Bridge exit door as well. The towering French midfielder spent last season on loan at relegation-bound Southampton but impressed enough to earn admiring glances from Burnley.
The Athletic were the first to report that Scott Parker’s newly promoted outfit have struck an agreement to sign Ugochukwu on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
The return of Andrey Santos after a dazzling loan spell with Strasbourg has only added to the competition for minutes in Chelsea’s midfield, where Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and Roméo Lavia are the top three options for Maresca. 20-year-old Dário Essugo has also joined after signing from Sporting CP earlier in the year.
As a result, Chelsea are looking to trim their options in the heart of the pitch, with Carney Chukwuemeka also in talks over a return to Borussia Dortmund.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea ‘Agree Sales’ of Two Midfielders to Premier League Rivals.
