Welcome to the football.london transfer briefing. To help you keep on top of all things Chelsea going on in the market we've got the latest noises coming from social media, journalists and so-called ITKs, rounding up what's what in the world of the Blues.
Lukaku deadline
Chelsea have told Inter that they have until Monday, July 17 to complete a transfer for Romelu Lukaku before he is due to return to Cobham for pre-season training. The Blues leave for their tour of America next week with Lukaku not expected to be part of the travelling squad due to his desire to leave.
He has set his stall on rejoining Inter on a permanent deal after spending last season on loan at San Siro. However, Chelsea are still looking to recoup a hefty chunk of the £97.5million ($125million) they paid for him in 2021 and have already rejected an initial bid from the Nerazzurri
Now, reports in Italy suggest that the Blues are not willing to play around with Lukaku this summer and will instead allow Mauricio Pochettino to work with the Belgian if nothing can be arranged regarding a move in the coming days.
football.london says: Chelsea will do well to complete one of the most complicated transfers of the summer in the space of less than a week, but then again they have shown themselves to be extremely ready and alert when it comes to sales. Few thought they would be able to shift Kalidou Koulibaly or receive such a sizeable fee for Kai Havertz, yet they earnt the best part of £100million ($128million) through those two alone.
With Lukaku, all parties know that there is a timeframe here that benefits everyone. Inter would like Lukaku, Lukaku would like Inter, they both want as good of a pre-season as is possible and Chelsea don't want Lukaku or a pre-season with him but do want the money. It should be simple, right?
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The actual method behind getting such a move done in the coming days is less sure. There are offers on the board from Saudi Arabia, something he is said to be increasingly open to, but Italy is the preferred destination. The simple answer is to say that Lukaku won't be a Chelsea player come the end of the window, but whether that is in time for a thorough pre-season or not is another question.
With such a timeline Lukaku may well be unsellable for Chelsea, long-term though and there is little doubt his future lies away from the club.
Liverpool ready for Colwill bid
Liverpool are ready to make a bid for Levi Colwill, 90min and talkSPORT write. The 20-year-old is increasingly the centre of transfer speculation as the window goes on. With talks set with Chelsea upon his return to the club before their tour of USA, there is a period of uncertainty approaching.
Chelsea are still determined to keep Colwill and see him as a vital part of their future. However, with two-years left on his contract and interest in him growing by the day, pressure from Liverpool and Brighton remains. The Reds are said to be preparing an offer should they get the impression that talks with Chelsea aren't progressing.
football.london says: Colwill is set to be one of the most tedious transfer stories of the summer for Chelsea fans. There is very little new to this right now. The player is still yet to return to the club but once he does there will be talks and we're pretty sure Pochettino has grand plans, all will be rosey and he'll probably start against Liverpool in the league opener next month.
Frankly, Liverpool can prepare bids all they like right now but unless they are set to pay prices similar to that being spoken of with Josko Gvardiol to Manchester City then nothing will happen. Chelsea see Colwill as their guy for the next generation and value him in that way.
He is simply not for sale. Liverpool, and Brighton for that matter, are effectively at the mercy of Chelsea in this situation because until Colwill signals he is unhappy, they have no chance of prizing him away. Until fresh terms are agreed and a contract is signed there will remain stories but in reality, it won't matter.
