Chalobah bid rejected, Chelsea want more
Chelsea have told Como that €25m plus €5m in add-ons is not enough for Trevoh Chalobah. The club want more than €30m to let their centre-back go (1). Como are already looking at alternative options at the back.
Alajbegovic deal nearly done
Personal terms are agreed and the deal is close. Chelsea are set to sign 18-year-old Bosnian attacker Kerim Alajbegovic from Bayer Leverkusen for €52m, the final details are now being worked through (2) (4). The teenager is one of the most exciting young forwards in the Bundesliga pipeline.
Rogers deal: the real numbers
That £117m headline figure is not the full story. Finance expert Stefan Borson says the total cost of the Morgan Rogers deal will reach approximately £135m once additional costs are factored in. That works out to £27m per year in amortisation on the books. Borson warned: "It's great that they're selling players. But you've got a player with low amortisation going out the door, let's say Andrey Santos, and the player you bring in has got very high amortisation" (3).
Get the next Chelsea FC brief by email
This article went out to subscribers as a brief. Get the next one straight to your inbox, free.
Free · No spam · Unsubscribe anytime
Lacroix incoming from Palace
Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix is close to joining Chelsea as Xabi Alonso looks to fix a backline one source described as "vulnerable, ill-disciplined, unstable" (5). No fee has been confirmed yet, but the deal is advancing.
Villa's set-piece guru heading to the Bridge
Chelsea are set to poach Aston Villa's highly rated set-piece coach Austin MacPhee (6). Villa fans are stung. Some are calling it a "bigger loss than Morgan Rogers" (7). MacPhee's set-piece record at Villa was among the best in the league, and he previously worked with Alejandro Garnacho at Manchester United.
Eyes on Mac Allister at Liverpool
Chelsea are monitoring Alexis Mac Allister's situation at Liverpool. No club-to-club talks have started yet, but your club are keeping tabs (8). The World Cup winner could become available if Liverpool reshuffle under Arne Slot.
Fan-reaktioner
Plenty of buzz on the subreddit, and it splits two ways. The Chalobah news has fans backing the club's stance in holding out for the right fee after Como's bid. Jesse Derry is the other big topic: the academy kid scored his first goal for Sporting against Monaco and Geovany Quenda posted about it on Instagram. The mood on Derry is pure pride, seeing a Cobham product shine abroad. A leaked third-kit image is also doing the rounds.
