Chelsea and Man City in NEW transfer battle after Olise and Paqueta deals collapse

Robin Bairner

• 18 Aug 2023 08:26 CDT
• 3 min read

Chelsea and Manchester City are on a transfer collision course in the final fortnight of the window, with the two Premier League giants both set to bid for Rennes winger Jeremy Doku.

Both the Blues and City have been pushed towards the Belgium international because of recent frustrations.

Chelsea have seen Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise escape them after he signed a new contract with the Selhurst Park club when it appeared he was primed to move to Stamford Bridge, while the Premier League champions have refused to match West Ham’s valuation of Brazil international Lucas Paqueta.

MORE: How much have Chelsea spent on transfers so far this summer?

According to L’Equipe, Man City are the 21-year-old’s priority, but there is ongoing interest from West Ham, Tottenham and Chelsea should Pep Guardiola’s side fail to land their man.

A report from the Guardian states that City have offered Rennes €53m for the winger, who starred in last weekend’s 5-1 home win over Metz – a result that puts the Breton club to the top of the standings after the first round of fixtures.

This offer, which FootballTransfer exclusively revealed that Kevin De Bruyne urged the club to make, has been rebuffed, with the Ligue 1 side seeking €60m for a player they signed as an upgrade to Raphinha in 2020.

MORE: The HUGE list of wonderkids Chelsea have signed under Todd Boehly

Four Premier League clubs want Doku

Chelsea, in particular, would be expected to come into focus to threaten City’s transfer prospects.

The Blues have shown a willingness to spend big on young talent over the course of the last three transfer window under Todd Boehly, while they have the recent history to compete with the Etihad club.

By contrast, West Ham and Tottenham may need Doku more, but they are typically tighter operators in the transfer market and are unlikely to get drawn into a bidding war with two of the biggest spenders in the Premier League.

And, as L’Equipe points out, what Man City want, they generally get.