Chelsea Transfer News: Lavia edges CLOSER, MAJOR Olise blow and academy star set to LEAVE
Cameron Smith
- Updated: 17 Aug 2023 17:18 CDT
- 5 min read
Chelsea are set to clinch their latest signing of a busy summer transfer window, with Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia on the verge of joining the club.
According to Sky Sports, Lavia has now passed his medical at Stamford Bridge and will imminently put pen to paper on a contract.
Chelsea will pay Southampton an initial £53 million for the Belgium international, a fee that could rise another £5m in potential add-ons.
All that is left is for Lavia to sign a reported seven-year deal with his new club, a step that should be completed in time for him to contend for a debut appearance against West Ham this Sunday.
Olise signs new Crystal Palace deal
However, while Lavia is set arrive, the Blues have been dealt a crushing blow in their pursuit of French youngster Michael Olise.
Olise, 21, was on the verge of joining Chelsea after the west London club triggered his £35m release clause, with personal terms not deemed to be an issue.
MORE: Premier League 2023/24 summer transfers: All the Done Deals
However, the Blues' pursuit of the attacker had become a controversial one, as Palace accused the Stamford Bridge side of tapping up the 21-year-old, who is presently injured after sustaining a hamstring injury while on France U21 duty during the European Championship.
Instead of joining Chelsea, Olise has signed a new four-year deal with Crystal Palace, extending his stay at Selhurst Park.
Hall to leave Chelsea
In addition to missing out on Olise, Chelsea are also set to lose Lewis Hall to Newcastle.
Newcastle have offered around £35 million to sign Hall and personal terms are not expected to be a problem for the 18-year-old Chelsea graduate, FootballTransfers can confirm.
Hall is hopeful of landing a Newcastle switch, not least because he is a supporter of the club himself.
We are told that Chelsea granted Hall a six-year contract, ending in 2030, in a bid to increase his value. The defender has already signed his deal, after agreeing to it in principle last week.
Chelsea’s spending on fees over the last three transfer windows has amounted to around £900m and this has meant the Blues are looking to generate sales. The side deem Hall as surplus to requirements, given the value he has.
Chelsea's latest goalkeeper target
Chelsea are willing to break another transfer record this summer, with the Blues lining up a bid for New England Revolution goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic according to reports.
The Telegraph states that Chelsea are interested in Petrovic to come in and act as backup, with the keeper having played 48 times for the MLS side since joining in April 2022, when he offered a replacement for Matt Turner, who has recently joined Nottingham Forest.
Sky Sports, meanwhile, reports that it will take an MLS record transfer to secure the services of Petkovic from New England.
Chelsea MISS OUT on long-term target
Chelsea are set to officially miss out on long-time target Arsen Zakharyan, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Chelsea had already agreed a deal with Dynamo Moscow for the 20-year-old last year, but FIFA blocked the move due to restrictions on doing business with Russian clubs in light of the country's invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier in this transfer window, the Blues were once again in for Zakharyan, albeit not officially. Instead, they reportedly sought to exploit a loophole created by their acquisition of Strasbourg.
Nothing ultimately came of it, however, and the 20-year-old is now on his way to Spain.
Zakharyan is on the verge of joining Real Sociedad. After lengthy negotiations, the Spanish side finally appears to have achieved a breakthrough.
He will undergo his medical in Spain today, according to Romano.
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