There is a belief within Chelsea that the club are well-placed to sign a very highly-rated forward after laying extensive groundwork, and it looks likely that he'll be central to one of this summer's most eye-catching transfer sagas.
Boehly looking back to Maresca with more key signings at Chelsea
The west Londoners have already announced six signings thus far, coming in the form of Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Omari Kellyman, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Renato Veiga, who cost around £93 million in total.
Deal in place with Todd Boehly set to seal £17 million signing for Chelsea
The west Londoners are closing in on their seventh acquisition of the summer.
1 ByEmilio GalantiniJul 17, 2024
According to The Athletic this week, everything is in place for Aaron Anselmino to join Chelsea as their seventh deal of the summer window as well, and that £17 million move would take their spending to around the £110 million mark.
Atlanta United left-back Caleb Wiley is also on his way to Chelsea for around £8.5 million, so the west Londoners could be looking at a near-£120 million expenditure with many weeks to go until deadline day on August 30.
Cole Palmer
7.48
Conor Gallagher
7.13
Nicolas Jackson
7.07
Moises Caicedo
6.85
Noni Madueke
6.84
Of course, their spending has been balanced by player sales, with Thiago Silva, Hakim Ziyech, Lewis Hall, Omari Hutchinson, Michael Golding and Ian Maatsen's exits bringing in around £89 million whilst also allowing Todd Boehly to trim the wage bill.
Chelsea are by no means done in the transfer market either, as they look to back new head coach Enzo Maresca ahead of his first full Premier League season in charge.
It is widely believed that Maresca wants a new winger who can compete with the likes of Raheem Sterling, with some reports even claiming that Sterling could even be replaced at Chelsea.
This has resulted in links to Borussia Dortmund forward Karim Adeyemi. The 22-year-old is on Maresca's radar ahead of a potential swoop, with Chelsea reportedly ready to offer Adeyemi a seven-year deal to join Maresca.
Chelsea feel they're well-placed to sign Nico Williams
Another target for the wide area, and one who is currently making waves after a stellar Euro 2024 campaign, is Spain starlet Nico Williams. The 21-year-old helped to bury England in the final last Sunday with his opening goal and was an absolute menace for defenders throughout the tournament.
He also registered a very impressive 19 assists in all competitions last season for Athletic Bilbao at club level, and his £200,000-per-week contract includes a tempting £50 million release clause.
The Athletic have shared news on his future in the last few days, with Chelsea still firmly in the running to strike a deal despite rumoured interest from London rivals Arsenal and La Liga heavyweights Barcelona.
They write that Chelsea feel they're well-placed to sign Williams after laying extensive groundwork but remain wary of the competition for his services. The Bilbao star is high on their list of targets in that position, and for good reason considering his exceptional form in the last 12 months.