- 15 hours ago
Chelsea fail in swap deal attempt
Chelsea are juggling many transfer sagas at present, the biggest of which is a possible deal for Napoli striker Victor Osimhen.
With the Serie A club demanding as much as €130 million for the Nigeria international forward, a swap deal involving Romelu Lukaku has been mooted, but that is not the only part-exchange deal that the Blues have been trying to broker.
According to Di Marzio, Chelsea tried their luck with Juventus winger Federico Chiesa with such an offer.
READ MORE: Winners and losers of Victor Osimhen joining Chelsea
The Italy international is out of favour in Turin, and with one year left on his contract, head coach Thiago Motta wants the former Fiorentina player out of his squad.
Several Premier League clubs have taken an interest in Chiesa, including Chelsea, who offered the possibility of a swap deal with Raheem Sterling. According to the Di Marzio, though, this was rejected by the Bianconeri.
Chiesa’s future looks likeliest to remain in Serie A. Recent indications point to Roma and AC Milan as being possible – but the possibility of the attacker winding up at Stamford Bridge remains a live one.
Chelsea could revisit a deal for Chiesa – but only if Sterling is first sold.
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Chiesa-Sterling swap: The details
Talks were held on Thursday between the clubs, but these quickly broke down.
“Juventus and Chelsea spoke about a swap that would involve Federico Chiesa and Raheem Sterling. Both clubs explored the feasibility of the operation, but the deal immediately stalled due to differences in player valuations and salaries,” Di Marzio states.
One issue is that Sterling earns almost twice what Chiesa does, which represents one of the main obstacles.
The former Manchester City attacker, though, is also still wanted by Juventus, although this salary obligation is a major problem.
Logically, this is a deal that could suit both clubs, with Sterling and Chiesa both seeking a change of scene this summer.