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Chelsea are likely to experience incomings and outgoings across their squad following a very disappointing Premier League season, and a three-player deal with UEFA Champions League runners-up Inter has been proposed. This move would see one player come in to boost new Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino’s squad, with two potentially moving on.
One area that Pochettino has definitely targeted to improve the Chelsea squad he has inherited is the goalkeeper department. With Kepa Arrizabalaga and Édouard Mendy tipped to leave the Premier League club this summer, a new number one has been identified, only a few days after said individual appeared in the UEFA Champions League Final.
The Sun understands that man is André Onana, who is only one-year into his five-year deal with the Italian giants. Nevertheless, that has not stopped Chelsea expressing their interest, and as such they could be willing to offer two of their own players as part of the deal to bring the former Ajax man to the club.
27-year-old Onana is seen as one of the best goalkeepers in world football with the ball at his feet, and to fit into the Pochettino way of playing then this is one key ingredient to have. Romelu Lukaku has spent the past season back on loan with Inter, is said to be against returning to Chelsea and would rather remain with Simone Inzaghi’s side, where he has struck up a great relationship with Lautaro Martínez.
Inter have set a price of £55million on the keeper, and they have seemingly already lined up a potential replacement for him, with Empoli’s Guglielmo Vicario closing in on a move to San Siro. Chelsea could also be willing to allow central defender Kalidou Koulibaly to return to Serie A with Inter as part of the deal, which could then soften the £55million asking figure.
André Onana would arguably be the most transformational signing Chelsea could possibly make this window. pic.twitter.com/ywxmSSbbO0
— ~ (@CFCdruw) June 12, 2023
It promises to be a major summer of change for Chelsea as they look to return to their more usual status of being a team to challenge for major honours and at the very least a place in the UEFA Champions League. Many names are set to depart the club.
Mason Mount is expected to complete a move to Premier League rivals Manchester United before the new season begins. Kai Havertz has been heavily linked with a switch to Real Madrid, as the La Liga giants aim to boost their attacking options after the departure of Karim Benzema. N’Golo Kante could also be the latest high-profile figure to join Benzema in joining a team in Saudi Arabia.
Pochettino warmed up his managerial skills over the weekend when guiding a World XI to victory over an England XI during the annual Soccer Aid for UNICEF fixture. One of his first acts on his return to club management will be to take charge of his Chelsea side on a pre-season tour of USA. They’ll face the likes of Newcastle United, Brighton and Wrexham.
He will be hoping to have Onana in between the sticks as early as possible so he can bed into the way of playing the manager is anticipated to implement. Furthermore, Onana has never played in the Premier League before, but he isn’t expected to have any major issues in adapting to a new league in a new country.
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