Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign the Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for a fee in the region of £30m.
Dewsbury-Hall, who is set to be reunited with Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge, is due to undergo a medical before signing a six-year deal. The 25-year-old was a key player for Maresca last season and he is seen as an ideal fit for Chelsea’s style of play.
There had been talks over players being included as part of the deal for Dewsbury-Hall, who was expected to join Brighton before Chelsea entered the race. However, Leicester will instead look to sign the 18-year-old midfielder Michael Golding once the deal has gone through.
Chelsea, who could sell the Albania forward Armando Broja to Everton, already have Conor Gallagher, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Roméo Lavia, Lesley Ugochukwu, Andrey Santos and Carney Chukwuemeka as options in midfield. Gallagher’s deal expires in 12 months and he has been targeted by Aston Villa and Tottenham.
The fact that Dewsbury-Hall is left-footed appeals to Chelsea. He scored 12 goals last season and helped Leicester win the Championship. But Leicester have since lost Maresca to Chelsea and they are at risk of a points deduction for a breach of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules. The money received for Dewsbury-Hall will go down as pure profit as he is a product of Leicester’s academy.
Chelsea have also looked to shift players before Sunday night’s accounting deadline. Broja is up for sale and has strong interest from Everton, although there is still work to be done on that deal. Milan, Bologna and Wolves are also monitoring the forward.
Ipswich Town have completed the permanent signing of Omari Hutchinson from Chelsea on a five-year contract. The Premier League newcomers had agreed a £22m fee for the wide forward, who scored 10 goals on loan to help Ipswich seal promotion.
We’re so pleased to bring Omari back on a permanent basis,” Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna told the club website. “Omari is someone we all enjoyed working with last season and the staff, his teammates and supporters all saw how he grew and developed over the course of the year, which is testament to the hard work he put in.
“The impact he had on the team throughout the season, especially in the latter part, was evidence of that and he played a significant part in that success,” McKenna added. “We think Omari is a fantastic player and person to have at the club for the long-term future. He has a hunger to improve and show that he can compete and thrive in the Premier League.”
