Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues have chance to hijack rival’s move for Premier League star, club receive boost in pursuit of French defender, and more – 1st August 2021

Chelsea continued their stellar pre-season showing with a 2-1 win over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. The Blues opened the scoring through Kai Havertz in the 26th minute, but Granit Xhaka got the Gunners back into the game with a headed goal in the 69th minute. Thomas Tuchel’s side regained their lead three minutes later thanks to Tammy Abraham who latched onto a dreadful pass from Hector Bellerin. He calmly slotted past Bernd Leno in the bottom right corner of the goal.

Chelsea have now won both their pre-season games this summer, but the German manager remains focused on reinforcing his squad in the coming days. The Blues want a world-class number nine, while Tuchel is also eager to bring in a defender before the end of August.

On that note, let’s take a look at the major Chelsea transfer news from 1 August 2021.

Chelsea have chance to hijack rival’s move for Premier League star

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Chelsea have a chance to hijack Manchester City’s move for Harry Kane, according to The Express. The Blues are planning to bring in a world-class striker this summer to strengthen their quest for silverware. Thomas Tuchel has his eyes on Erling Haaland and Harry Kane. While pricing away the Norwegian looks difficult, the Premier League side have an advantage in the race for the Englishman.

Manchester City are currently the favorites to land Kane, but Chelsea could use Tottenham Hotspur’s interest in Kurt Zouma to hijack the move. The Englishman’s arrival would instantly make the Blues the favorites for the league title and would be a huge setback to City’s title credentials. Chelsea could include the Frenchman to sweeten a deal for Kane and reduce the asking price for the Englishman. Despite the intense rivalry between Spurs and the Blues, the move could work in favor of all parties, given that Kane wants a new challenge this summer.

Blues receive boost in pursuit of French defender

Chelsea have received a boost in their pursuit of Jules Kounde. According to The Express via Duncan Castles, Sevilla are willing to accept a player-plus-cash deal for the Frenchman this summer. The Blues have agreed personal terms with Kounde and are locked in negotiations with the La Liga side.

Sevilla now have to adhere to the La Liga spending limits while Bordeaux, Kounde’s former club, have a 30% sell-on clause. As such, a player-plus-cash offer would greatly benefit the Spanish club. Sevilla are willing to accept Kurt Zouma as part of the deal, much to the delight of Chelsea. Thomas Tuchel is ready to offload Zouma, so things could accelerate pretty soon.

Chelsea interested in French prodigy

Chelsea are interested in French prodigy Lucas Gourna-Douath, according to The Hard Tackle via RMC Sport. The Blues have enquired about the Saint-Etienne youngster and are already monitoring the 17-year-old. Gourna-Douath joined the Ligue 1 side’s academy in 2018 and rose through the ranks to make his first-team debut last season.

The youngster went on to appear 30 times in the 2020/21 campaign and has become a constant presence in midfield for Saint-Etienne. Chelsea believe Gourna-Douath could be a long-term replacement for N’Golo Kante, but face competition from Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen and Atalanta for the youngster’s signature.