Chelsea statement on Maresca, Alonso endorsed as transfer moves advance
Andrey Santos has admirers and is not on Chelsea’s ‘not for sale’ list. The club could sell at the right price despite his progress last season.
Chelsea are in club-to-club talks for Rayo Vallecano’s Pep Chavarria, with the 28-year-old keen after Marc Cucurella’s exit to Real Madrid. An initial offer was reportedly rejected.
Fabrizio Romano says Real Madrid have held no talks with Chelsea for Enzo Fernandez. He is on a shortlist and valued at over €120m, and Xabi Alonso wants to keep him at Stamford Bridge.
Inter’s Piero Ausilio says they were snubbed as Marco Palestra chose Chelsea with higher wages and a bigger fee on offer, and admits regret over missing Sandro Tonali earlier in his career.
Geovany Quenda, 19, has arrived from Sporting after a deal worth around €50.7m. Following rehabilitation work at Cobham earlier this year, he aims to be involved from day one of Xabi Alonso’s pre-season to stake a claim at Chelsea.
Opinion piece argues Chelsea’s public rebuke of Enzo Maresca is hypocritical given their own managerial churn and treatment of coaches.
Chelsea have lowered their front-of-shirt sponsor asking price to £45m-£50m for 2026-27 and have held talks with HP as they seek a new main partner.
Chelsea have made agent contact for Eli Junior Kroupi as they assess attackers. Morgan Rogers remains a priority but costly, so Kroupi is viewed as a potential ‘perfect profile’ alternative for a hybrid role.
Como have made the strongest move for Trevoh Chalobah with an opening €27m bid, though Chelsea want over €35m. The defender is open to joining Cesc Fabregas’ Champions League side amid interest from Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Multiple clubs admire Malo Gusto, but Chelsea’s £75m asking price is a major obstacle. With Marco Palestra coming in, a sale is possible, though a high fee could block moves.
Chelsea detail Enzo Maresca’s abrupt 1 January 2026 resignation ahead of his move to Manchester City, confirm confidential compensation agreements with City and with Maresca, and publicly back Xabi Alonso as manager for 2026/27.
Chelsea pursue Granit Xhaka, with Fabrizio Romano reporting a fresh update while Sunderland are reluctant to sell.
Chelsea have reportedly agreed a fee to sign Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix to partner Levi Colwill and address issues defending crosses and set-pieces. The piece also claims a £43m deal for Marco Palestra, cites income from sales and compensation including a reported £17m from Maresca’s exit, and says Lacroix would cost £46m, with talks for Granit Xhaka and Pep Chavarria ongoing.
Chelsea are reshaping their goalkeeper group, with Filip Jorgensen likely to exit. The club contacted Brighton about Jason Steele as a homegrown third-choice option, with Mike Penders set for promotion.
