Chelsea transfer news: Josko Gvardiol, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Wesley Fofana, Wilfried Zaha and more

Chelsea continue to be busy in the summer transfer window and the club looks set to keep chasing targets right up to deadline day.

Todd Boehly’s new regime has already backed manager Thomas Tuchel heartily with the signings of Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling, while promising youngsters Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Gabriel Slonina have been secured on permanent deals, too.

With a list of leavers including Romelu Lukaku, Antonio Rudiger and Timo Werner, though, Tuchel is looking to further replenish his squad, targeting a number of familiar Premier League faces in a bid to mount a genuine title challenge.

Josko Gvardiol

Chelsea have made a bid of £77.4m for the RB Leipzig and Croatia defender, according to Fabrizio Romano, as the 20-year-old becomes the latest target in the club’s long-term overhaul of their defence.

According to Romano, Chelsea have proposed a deal that would see the versatile defender remain on loan with RB Leipzig this season before moving to the Premier League this summer, at which point the likes of Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta will be another year older.

Chelsea’s approach has been late and leaves just two days for a deal to be made.

Wesley Fofana

Chelsea have sent Wesley Fofana to the USA for a medical ahead of his £75m transfer from Leicester City, which is expected to be confirmed today.

The 21-year-old centre-half has been one of Thomas Tuchel’s biggest priorities during this summer window as he seeks to replace the departed Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who moved to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively at the end of last season. And finally, with just three days to go before the deadline, Chelsea satisfied Leicester’s demands.

According to The Athletic, new owner Todd Boehly was insistent the defender underwent a strigent medical examination in the US before sealing the deal, following a serious injury last season. Should Fofana pass the medical, he will joing the club and could be involved in the London derby against West Ham on Saturday.

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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

With both Lukaku and Werner out the door, Chelsea find themselves in a peculiar position of lacking true centre-forward options, with Armando Broja unproven at the club and Kai Havertz a different type of forward option. Might a return to London for Aubameyang therefore make sense?

The Gabonese striker left Arsenal after being stripped of the captaincy earlier this year but enjoyed a productive half-season at Barcelona. The arrival of Robert Lewandowski has pushed Aubameyang down the pecking order, though, and Barcelona have reportedly set their price in discussions with Chelsea.

Aubameyang remains the club’s No1 forward target and Chelsea are ‘pushing’ to complete the deal after of the window closing, according to the Guardian, but some reports suggest the club are put off by the huge wages and asking price – Barcelona want around €30m.

Wilfried Zaha

Chelsea have discussed the idea of signing Wilfried Zaha and Crystal Palace are reportedly willing to let Zaha leave over the next few days, given the winger only has one year left on his current deal and given the team’s progress under manager Patrick Vieira which has seen them diversify their attacking threat through other players in the team like Eberechi Eze.

But they are pushing for a player in return – ideally midfielder Conor Gallagher, who shone on loan at Selhurst Park last season and is keen for more playing minutes with the World Cup looming. Vieira dismissed suggestions Zaha could leave following Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford, saying: “There’s a really nice relationship between this football team and Wilfried Zaha, it’s not going to stop now.”

Anthony Gordon

Chelsea have missed the deadline to sign Anthony Gordon, according to Everton boss Frank Lampard. With just two days to go until the window closes, the clubs remained far apart in their valuation for the forward. Everton wanted around £60m for Gordon with Chelsea submitting two bids for the 21-year-old, the second of which was reportedly around £45m.

Gordon had told Lampard he wanted to leave Goodison Park, despite having signed a five-year deal at the club in 202, but has since buckled down and scored two goals in his last two games – including the opener in the 1-1 draw at Leeds on Monday.

Ronnie Edwards

According to Football Insider, Chelsea have joined the race to sign highly rated Petereborough defender Ronnie Edwards after scouting him in a recent match against Derby County. Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace have already registered their interest in the teenager, with Palace seeing a £4m bid rejected.

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi will spend the season on loan at German side Bayer Leverkusen. The 21-year-old was an unused substitute in each of Chelsea’s last three Premier League fixtures and was not set to feature in manager Thomas Tuchel’s plans this season. Chelsea retain the option to recall their academy graduate in January

Another young player who could leave Chelsea before the close of the window is Ethan Ampadu, who could head for Serie A on a loan deal. Billy Gilmour has been linked with a move to Brighton before the deadline. But Trevor Chalobah will stay at Stamford Bridge despite holding talks with a number of European clubs over a possible loan.