Mauricio Pochettino could break the bank between now and the end of the summer, even if the arrival of Axel Disasi takes Chelsea’s transfer spending well over the £100million mark. Reinforcements in midfield, up front and between the sticks have all been touted at Stamford Bridge, with plenty of time for co-owner Todd Boehly to act.
Disasi is bound for London after Chelsea agreed a £38m deal with Monaco this week. Earlier swoops for Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku and Angelo mean that the Blues have already splashed a healthy amount of cash this summer.
Even after Disasi is announced, however, Pochettino could send Chelsea’s spending through the roof by landing three more targets. Chief among which is Moises Caicedo, who has been slapped with an eye-popping £100m price tag by Brighton.
The Blues have already seen an £80m bid turned down for the Ecuadorian. But reports indicate that they aren’t prepared to walk away from the player after following his progress for months.
While negotiations with Brighton are already tense, another complication has been thrown into the mix. Seagulls goalkeeper Robert Sanchez has emerged as a target for Pochettino as he looks to introduce competition in goal.
Kepa Arrizabalaga finished last campaign as the undisputed No 1. But without making moves in the summer window, there will be nobody to push the Spaniard next season after Edouard Mendy’s switch to the Saudi Pro League.
But the Serie A giants want at least £40m, as well as Lukaku, to sanction the deal. The Blues are currently believed to have turned down the proposal, although they may change their tune as the window rumbles on.
If Pochettino welcomes the trio in question, Chelsea would need to shed plenty of weight from their squad to keep him happy. The Argentine has already bemoaned the sheer number of players at his disposal, with under a month left in the summer window.