Chelsea ‘send Real Madrid £112m bid’ as Florentino Perez set four-week ultimatum

Reports in Spain suggest Chelsea have tabled a whopping £112million proposal for Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde, who wants to remain in the Spanish capital despite alleged interest from the Blues. The 24-year-old powerhouse is set to remain integral to Carlo Ancelotti’s project despite the imminent arrival of marquee acquisition Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund.

Valverde has taken the Bernabeu by storm since forcing his way into Zinedine Zidane’s serial-winning side during the 2018/19 campaign following an eye-catching loan spell with Deportivo La Coruna.

The Uruguayan stalwart has won two La Liga titles during that time frame plus the Champions League and Copa del Rey in addition to five other trophies.

Now Spanish outlet Defensa Central are reporting that Mauricio Pochettino wants to bring Valverde’s quality and winning mentality to Chelsea as part of his Stamford Bridge revolution.

The speculative report, which should be taken with a pinch of salt, claims Chelsea are tabling a monstrous package worth a whopping £112million.

Chelsea are said to be tabling a £95m fee upfront plus around £17m in add-ons for the 24-year-old that will expire in just over four weeks at the end of June.

Despite their interest, Valverde intends to remain at Real Madrid as they seek to inflict revenge on La Liga champions Barcelona next season.

The Blues are looking to overhaul their midfield ranks with Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic set to depart alongside N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Sporting’s Manuel Ugarte had been of strong interest to Chelsea but they decided to walk away from the deal on Sunday evening over what has been deserved as ‘unrealistic demands’.

Ugarte is now set to sign for Paris Saint-Germain after already undergoing a medical with the Ligue 1 champions in France as Chelsea reportedly turn attentions to his international team-mate Valverde.

Moises Caicedo also remains of interest with Arsenal understood to be battling the Blues for the Ecuadorian’s signature.

In light of the reports of a bid for Valverde, it must be noted that Chelsea have to raise substantial cash this summer in order to continue spending.

The Blues are currently placed on FIFA’s Financial Fair Play watchlist following their recent £600m+ splurge under Todd Boehly during the past two transfer windows.

Thankfully, Chelsea do have plenty of players that can help them generate cash quickly including Kai Havertz, who is reportedly a target for Real Madrid.

The German is valued by the Blues at upwards of £50m but Los Blancos have no intention of paying that figure at this moment in time despite their desire to replace Karim Benzema.

Havertz is reportedly open to leaving Chelsea this summer and if their interest in Valverde is indeed legitimate, it would surely make sense for the Blues to incorporate him into the deal to keep the potential price down.

In addition to midfielders, Chelsea are also in the market for a new striker after Pochettino decided he did not wish to sign Joao Felix on a permanent transfer from Atletico Madrid.