Latest Chelsea transfer news: Mauricio Pochettino first Chelsea signing confirmed as Real Madrid contact Kai Havertz
Here’s a summary of Chelsea’s transfer activity for the morning of Tuesday, June 6.
Real Madrid make Kai Havertz contact
Real Madrid is intensifying their efforts to sign Kai Havertz from Chelsea this summer. The German forward has become a target for Real Madrid after Karim Benzema announced his departure from Santiago Bernabeu before the next season.
According to SPORT1, ongoing discussions are taking place between Real Madrid and Havertz’s representatives, even though negotiations with Chelsea have not started yet. German news outlet BILD has also stated that the German player could be available for €60 million (£52 million), and Real Madrid’s interest has become more serious this week.
AS reported that Chelsea is willing to consider offers for Havertz, but his departure would likely be blocked by coach Pochettino. Earlier this year, there were strong rumors linking Havertz to Bayern Munich, but he dismissed them by stating his happiness in west London.
Considering the expected arrival of Christopher Nkunku at Stamford Bridge, Havertz’s departure is a possibility. football.london reported last year that Nkunku had signed a pre-contract agreement and is expected to complete a £50 million move to west London once the summer transfer window opens.
Chelsea confirm first transfer of Mauricio Pochettino era
Chelsea have officially announced that they have reached an agreement to acquire Kendry Paez from Independiente del Valle. The talented 16-year-old player will join the Chelsea team once he turns 18.
Paez recently took part in the under-20 World Cup representing Ecuador, and he made a significant impact by scoring a goal and providing three assists in four matches.
Paez’s exceptional abilities have received high praise, as he was recognized as the top talent in the 2022 Next Generation Trophy, a youth tournament held in Austria. Additionally, he played a prominent role for Ecuador in the under-17 Copa America, where he served as the team’s captain and contributed two goals and six assists.
According to El Universo in 2019, Kendry Paez, the midfielder, scored 39 goals in 106 games between 2018 and 2022 while consistently representing del Valle’s youth teams. In 2023, Paez has already made six appearances for Independiente del Valle, including in the Copa de Libertadores.
Paez is the latest addition to Chelsea’s strategy of targeting young talents early on. In the previous summer, Chelsea signed Gabriel Slonina, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Cesare Casadei, and they later acquired Andrey Santos in January. However, Santos was unable to join Chelsea due to work permit issues, resulting in his return on loan to Vasco da Gama.
Chelsea pull out of £51m Manuel Ugarte transfer race
Chelsea have made a significant decision regarding their midfield transfers, resulting in their withdrawal from the competition to sign Manuel Ugarte from Sporting CP. Initially, the Blues seemed to be leading the race to secure his signature ahead of Paris Saint-Germain. However, an unexpected turn of events occurred, allowing PSG to surpass Chelsea and take the lead, leading the latter to completely back out of negotiations.
Both teams were willing to meet Ugarte’s €60 million (£51 million) release clause, which made discussions with Sporting relatively straightforward. However, complications arose when it came to personal terms. Reports indicate that PSG consistently offered a more attractive salary compared to Chelsea, but Ugarte’s preferred destination was the Premier League.
Nevertheless, it now appears highly likely that Ugarte will be transferring to PSG during the summer, as disclosed by CBS reporter Ben Jacobs. He also mentioned that Chelsea increased their wage offer, but PSG’s continued to be higher, causing Chelsea to refrain from exceeding the market value.
Chelsea’s decision to walk away from the deal with Ugarte demonstrates that the club has learned from past mistakes. In previous instances, such as the signings of Cucurella and Mudryk, Chelsea outclassed other Premier League clubs with their offers.
However, in this particular case, Chelsea has chosen not to pursue the transfer due to another team’s more lucrative offer. According to reports from Record in Portugal, PSG initially offered €5 million (£4.3 million) to Ugarte but then doubled his personal terms to €10 million (£8.6 million). On the other hand, Chelsea, who initially proposed €2 million (£1.7 million), was not willing to come close to that figure.
For Chelsea, the focus now shifts to exploring alternative midfield options, with the likelihood of making two additions in that area. As reported by football.london, Chelsea is expected to make a move for Moises Caicedo from Brighton during the upcoming summer transfer window.
While Romeo Lavia and Manu Kone are also being considered, it appears that Caicedo will become the new priority for Chelsea after the decision not to sign Ugarte.
Latest Chelsea transfer news: Mauricio Pochettino first Chelsea signing confirmed as Real Madrid contact Kai Havertz
