Mauricio Pochettino holds important Chelsea transfer talks for $87m deal amid Moises Caicedo concern

Chelsea transfer news: The Blues’ latest media briefing reacts to stories surrounding Dusan Vlahovic and Moises Caicedo, with the pair strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea talks to Vlahovic

Chelsea are moving forward with plans to speak to Juventus about striker Dusan Vlahovic as they look for a new first-choice striker for Mauricio Pochettino.
The Blues have already signed new Senegalese signing Nicolas Jackson and versatile striker Christopher Nkunku, but are really looking for a surefire answer to their goal-scoring problem.

Now Italian journalist Rudy Galetti writes that Chelsea will hold talks with the player and a price of £68m ($87m) has been set.

He writes: “Vlahovic, talks between Chelsea and Juventus are about to begin. The Italian club – without UCL – must sell and has already set its price: around 80 million euros to let him go. Pochettino wants the Serbian striker: the situation is evolving”.

“Everything has been confirmed since mid-June: Chelsea are interested in Vlahovic and are negotiating with Juventus. There will be discussions in the coming days. Pochettino considers Dusan the ideal striker.”

football.london says: We’ve seen it before. Chelsea are looking for a proven striker in Italy as their scoring problem continues to worsen. Romelu Lukaku is among the terrible transfers alongside Alvaro Morata and Gonzalo Higuain.

Juventus have a good winning record when Chelsea meet them and although Vlahovic has shown immense skill and quality, it’s hard to shake the feeling that they could do it again here.

The Blues will be hoping he’s just 23 and still has his prime ahead of him, and he certainly fulfills the traits of a potential Pochettino signing. We only fear that every big-name striker will come to the club.

Realistically, however, Jackson is an unknown quantity and unlikely to immediately fill a void that needs to be filled immediately to succeed under Pochettino in season one.

In Vlahovic, he would certainly find a player who would become unbeatable and immensely important; it’s much harder to predict how well that would translate to goals.

Reports have it that Chelsea transfer target Moises Caicedo fears he could be denied a move to Stamford Bridge this summer. The 21-year-old has given the green light to join the Blues but now has to wait for an agreement between the clubs.

The Seagulls are demanding £100m ($128m) for the player after Declan Rice’s Arsenal move fee shapes the midfielder’s market and Caicedo now fears Chelsea won’t match the valuation of Brighton and let it be unchanged.

football.london says: Caicedo has already shown he is willing to stray for a transfer, having in fact submitted an exit request in January.

However, after Chelsea agreed to him being sold in the summer, he has more power than meets the eye. Brighton themselves have proven with Alexis Mac Allister that signing a new deal, as Caicedo did, does not necessarily mean an easy deal is out of the question.

Chelsea now have carte blanche at Caicedo, with Manchester United and Arsenal doing business elsewhere in midfield and the player keen on a move to London.

Everything indicates that a deal is in the works and that should really get things going. Whether the stalemate lasts long enough for a side to concede ahead of pre-season remains to be seen.

What is clear, however, is that it is in the interest of all parties at this time to find common ground in this window to cross the finish line.

More news…….

Mauricio Pochettino dismisses Premier League attack on Manchester City in first Chelsea interview

Mauricio Pochettino has spoken for the first time since being confirmed as Chelsea’s new manager ahead of the 2023-24 season

Mauricio Pochettino took aim at Manchester City in his first interview as Chelsea manager. The Argentinian signed a two-year contract – with an option for a third – with the club last month and officially began his new role on Saturday 1 July.

Chelsea hope Pochettino can lead the club back into the Champions League and constantly compete for trophies.

The Blues boss has already welcomed Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku to Stamford Bridge as Chelsea finalize transfer matters this summer.

Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, N’Golo Kante, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic and Kai Havertz set out for new challenges. More signings and departures are expected as Pochettino looks to freshen up the squad ahead of his crucial first season as manager.

City have set the standard in the Premier League over the past six years, winning five titles and dominating domestic competition. Pep Guardiola’s side scored a historic treble last season and eventually won the Champions League.

Chelsea finished 45 points behind City last Premier League season and Pochettino was tasked with closing the gap early on.

The Argentine is clearly delighted with his chance at Stamford Bridge and has already said everything fans have been dying to hear from his new manager.

In his first Cobham interview, Pochettino delivered a scathing dig at City with some big claims about Chelsea’s history and achievements over the past decade. The 51-year-old said:

“I think it’s important and it’s a winning culture. Chelsea have been the best team in England for 10, 12, 15 years.

“I know the Premier League very well and what the culture of Chelsea means. I think our fans are looking forward to getting back on track and trying to win.”

The Blues are clearly planning a quick return to the top of the Premier League.

Pochettino is pushing to bring in Moises Caicedo from Brighton following the arrivals of Jackson and Nkunku – and Chelsea are hoping the new signings can make a bigger impact than some of their previous signings in the past 12 months.