Big Move: Chelsea  set to submit £77m bid for striker as Real Madrid hijack Chelsea transfer plan

Big Move: Chelsea  set to submit £77m bid for striker as Real Madrid hijack Chelsea transfer plan

Mauricio Pochettino will be determined to continue Chelsea’s winning streak when they face Burnley this weekend. The Blues will welcome the Clarets to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon as either side hopes to climb the Premier League.

The former Tottenham Hotspur boss currently faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea struggling to clamber out of the bottom half of the table. Despite having reached the latter stages of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup, Pochettino remains heavily scrutinised.

In other news, the January transfer window may have slammed shut a few months ago but there’s still plenty of life left in the rumour mill. The Blues continue to be heavily linked with numerous big names but, as the Premier League continue to clamp down on those who breach their spending rules, Todd Boehly could think twice before splashing the cash.

Osimhen offer ‘ready’

Chelsea have taken a huge step forward in the race to sign Victor Osimhen this summer. The 25-year-old striker has been heavily linked with an exit from Napoli for a while now as he continues to impress in the Italian top flight.

Osimhen, who sees his contract at the Diego Maradona Stadium expire in 2026, has featured 17 times in the Serie A this term, scoring 11 goals and providing three assists. Despite leading Napoli to the Scudetto last season, he’s struggled to spearhead another title bid.

Nevertheless, according to Italian publication Il Mattino, Chelsea are ready to make a £77million bid for the Nigeria international. Interestingly, in December 2023, Fabrizio Romano claimed a £112m (€130m) release was included in Osimhen’s new deal – which is far less than what the west Londoners are reportedly prepared to pay.

Real Madrid rival Chelsea bid

Chelsea have been dealt a blow to their hopes of signing Leny Yoro. The 18-year-old centre-back has been heavily linked with a move to the Premier League recently as he continues to impress for LOSC Lille in the French top flight.

Yoro, who sees his contract at Stade Pierre-Mauroy expire in 2025, has burst onto the scene and enjoyed a meteoric rise to superstardom this season. The France Under-21 international has featured 25 times in Ligue 1, helping Paulo Fonseca’s side keep 14 clean sheets.

According to Spanish outlet AS, Real Madrid have turned their attention to Yoro, who has also attracted interest from Chelsea, PSG and Bayern Munich. The report states that Lille had previously held out for £85million (€100m) when the Parisians pursued his signature in January – now, it’s believed that his price-tag plummeted to £51m (€60m).

Souness slams three signings

Graeme Souness has named three new Chelsea signings who, he believes, have struggled to impress this season. Speaking on talkSPORT, the Liverpool legend said: “The hierarchy at Chelsea and the supporters at Chelsea must just be hoping that it’s going to take a year for these new players to bed in and get a look at the Premier League and then they’ll kick on.

“Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo… they’re not really showing £100m-player qualities right now. They have to improve. [Nicolas] Jackson up front has to improve too. They will all be hoping this is a learning year for them but they have to up their game.

“I try to cut them some slack because they’re young but those three have to start turning up, and others. If they don’t Chelsea are going to have to go again when it comes to spending money.

“Because if that’s their quality they’re a mid-table team, and that won’t be acceptable to the owners or the fans. That’s a group of supporters who are used to winning silverware.”