Chelsea agree £40m deal to sign "diamond" after Spurs win Simons race

Chelsea have made a transfer breakthrough after agreeing a deal to sign a new “diamond” attacking player for manager Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea hijacked by Tottenham for Xavi Simons

It has been a busy transfer window for the Blues so far in regards to both incomings and outgoings, with BlueCo currently spending more than £250m.

Chelsea signings From Fee Joao Pedro Brighton £60m Jamie Gittens Borussia Dortmund £48.5m Jorrel Hato Ajax £37m Liam Delap Ipswich £30m Estevao Willian Palmeiras £29m Dario Essugo Sporting CP £18.4m Kendry Paez Independiente £17.3m Mamadou Sarr Strasbourg £12m Jesse Derry Crystal Palace Undisclosed

That figure could increase even further as well, with those at Stamford Bridge looking to make more attacking additions before Monday’s transfer deadline.

One player who won’t be making the move to Chelsea, though, is Xavi Simons. It looked as if the Netherlands international was on course to sign for Maresca’s side for large parts of the summer, however, rivals Tottenham have come in and secured the attacker’s services from RB Leipzig.

Spurs are paying more than £50m to sign Simons from under the noses of Chelsea and has been given a five-year deal contract in north London.

However, despite missing out on Simons, the Blues have had more luck when it comes to another long-term attacking target.

Chelsea agree £40m Garnacho deal with Man Utd

That’s because Chelsea have agreed a fee with Manchester United for the signing of Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho.

Chelsea will pay a £40million fixed fee for the 21-year-old, as per the PA news agency, with United retaining a 10 per cent sell-on fee clause. The deal represents Man Utd’s fourth-largest sale after the transfers of Cristiano Ronaldo, Romelu Lukaku and Angel Di Maria, and is the largest fee received for a graduate from the Red Devils’ academy.

The Blues initially offered a fee of £25million for a player who has scored 26 goals in 144 games for United, two of which actually came at Stamford Bridge in 2024. Garnacho will follow Marcus Rashford out of the Red Devils door to become the second member of United’s so-called ‘bomb squad’ of unwanted players to secure a move away from Old Trafford.

Chelsea have already signed Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian in a revamp of their attack this summer, and Garnacho is likely to compete with Gittens on the left wing.

The deal for Garnacho, called a “diamond” by Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout, comes as Christopher Nkunku closes in on a move from Chelsea to AC Milan in a deal understood to be worth around £36million.

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