Chelsea look likely to miss out on Raphinha. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)
Talk about making a statement, Chelsea surely are making quite a few over the past few days. The West Londoners are now in pole positions to land Leeds United winger Raphinha.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein confirmed first that Chelsea were close to agreeing to a fee, before Fabrizio Romano reported that a deal worth £60 million has been agreed upon between Chelsea and Leeds United.
In recent days, arch-rivals Arsenal were reported to be favourites for the Brazil international, but Chelsea have now successfully hijacked the deal in what will arrive as a major boost to their transfer activity.
Discussions with Manchester City continue simultaneously for Raheem Sterling and Nathan Ake, with everything on that front progressing in a smooth way. Chelsea are preparing a second bid for the English winger, after an initial offer was turned down.
Sterling is understood to be keen on a move to Chelsea and is no stranger to West London, having spent seven of his formative years at the Queens Park Rangers academy.
Personal terms with Raphinha are currently being worked upon, which is not expected to be a problem at all. Barcelona have been favourites to land him for a long time, but they are not in a position to even come close to matching Leeds’ valuation.
After months of uncertainty, things are falling back into place at Stamford Bridge. Between Chelsea, Arsenal and Barcelona, the Blues were always in the best position to strike a deal.
Arsenal, even if they had agreed upon a fee with Leeds, wouldn’t have Champions League football to offer, something which Raphinha is hoping for at his next club.
With the Sterling deal on track too, Chelsea will have serious attacking options going into the next season – two Premier League proven elite-level players.
The Boehly-Clearlake administration is clearly putting their money where their mouths are, which is very promising to see in these early days of their ownership.
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