Double deal: Chelsea are closing in on Nathan Ake as Barcelona encourage Frenkie De Jong bid
(Picture: Getty Images)Chelsea are in advanced talks to sign Nathan Ake after talks with Manchester City accelerated this week.
Thomas Tuchel is hopeful of wrapping up a deal for the Dutchman, a player Chelsea sold to Bournemouth for £20m in the summer of 2017, with City’s valuation of around £41m not expected to be an issue.
Raheem Sterling is also close to sealing a move to Stamford Bridge and will soon become the first marquee men’s addition of the club’s new era.
The England forward has agreed a small increase on his £300,000-a-week wages and is expected to join the club for their pre-season tour of the US.
Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali met Barcelona representatives in the Catalan city on Thursday night, where it is believed the La Liga club encouraged a bid for midfielder Frenkie De Jong.
Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag is keen to reunite with the player he coached to stardom while at Ajax, although the club are yet to make a breakthrough.
Chelsea will fly out to on July 9 for pre-season games against Club America in Las Vegas, Charlotte FC in Charlotte and Arsenal in Orlando.
The Blues have prioritised signing central defenders given they need to rebuild their defence this summer after losing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers.
Chelsea have identified Matthijs De Ligt as another top defensive target but it is thought the Dutchman would prefer a move to Bayern Munich.
Chelsea remain favourites to sign Raphinha, with Leeds still waiting on an offer from Barcelona.
The Blues have all-but agreed a £55m deal in principle to sign Raphinha from Leeds and are ready to triple his wages with a contract worth around £120,000-a-week.
The 25-year-old is thought to favour a move to Barcelona but their move has stalled because they are unable to fund a deal.
With a suitable offer yet to materialise from Barcelona, a decision on Raphinha’s future is expected this week.
