Chelsea target Xavi Simons will move for a reported fee that will smash the record for a Dutch player.
The Blues have been characteristically busy in the transfer market this summer, in between winning the Club World Cup, adding the likes of Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens to an already stacked squad.
But with plenty of time left in the transfer window, Chelsea signing more superstars certainly can't be ruled out, as the club to land a first Premier League title since 2017.
Chelsea are circling for record-breaking bid for Xavi Simons
RB Leipzig were in talks earlier this summer to offload Benjamin Sesko to Arsenal – but failed to agree on a price after demanding a fee close to £80 million for the forward.
FourFourTwo understands that the East German outfit may still be open to major sales after missing out on Champions League football last term, however, opening the exit door for their other major asset in Simons.
A report from Spanish outlet Fichajes claims that Simons will leave for around €110m – or £95m – with Chelsea named as a serious contender to sign the La Masia graduate.
The Dutchman, ranked at no.8 in FourFourTwo's list of the best attacking midfielders in the world right now, only completed a permanent move to Leipzig in January after an initial loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain, with the club's sporting director Marcel Schäfer alluding to the “financial sense” of the deal.
"We’ve been working for a long time to make this transfer, which is a great one both in a sporting and financial sense,” adding, “We now hold all the trump cards.”
FourFourTwo understands that Arsenal are also in the race to sign the highly talented 22-year-old as an alternative to Eberechi Eze – but that the price will likely deter both London clubs.
Chelsea remain only likely to make a move for Simons should they make a major sale, with World Cup-winning Enzo Fernandez the likeliest candidate.
Simons is valued at €70m by Transfermarkt.
