Chelsea make Dewsbury-Hall bid as hijack takes shape - Ornstein

Tom Weber

• Updated: 29 Jun 2024 14:53 BST
• 3 min read

Chelsea have made an offer for Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, according to David Ornstein.

The Blues are trying to complete a stunning hijack. On Thursday, it was revealed that Chelsea had made initial contact with the Leicester promotion hero to understand the conditions of a potential transfer.

New boss Enzo Maresca is keen to reunite with the man who netted 12 goals and recorded 14 assists as his Foxes side marched to the Championship title last term.

READ MORE: Chelsea 'within touching distance' to sign another wonderkid - with a twist

Chelsea's enquiry saw Dewsbury-Hall pump the breaks on a transfer to Brighton. The Seagulls had been engaged in talks with Leicester over a potential swap deal, with Poland international Jakub Moder heading the other way.

According to Fabrizio Romano, that deal has now collapsed as Chelsea step up their chase of Dewsbury-Hall. Moreover, the Blues, according to The Athletic's David Ornstein, have now made their opening bid.

Chelsea make offer

Earlier on Friday, FootballTransfers was able to confirm that Chelsea had become the favourites for the 25-year-old's signature and we also revealed that Leicester would be willing to accept a fee closer to £35 million despite valuing Dewsbury-Hall at £40m.

According to Ornstein, Chelsea have launched their first offer, though he made no mention of how much the bid was worth. Should the Blues manage to strike a deal, Dewsbury-Hall would be expected to pen a long-term deal with the west London giants.

READ MORE: Chelsea targeting £70 million-rated defender after Maresca makes demands

Romano, meanwhile, has provided more information on the potential structure of the deal, stating that Chelsea are expected to include players in the transaction. Striker David Datro Fofana and Cesare Casadei, the latter of whom spent the first half of 2023/24 on loan at Leicester, are potential candidates.

It would be another controversial transfer with Chelsea recently among the clubs coming under fire from the Premier League for their 'swap' deals intended to help them comply with Profit and Sustainability Rules before the June 30 deadline.