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Football London
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Adam Newson

Raphinha problem, Ousmane Dembele latest and the issue Thomas Tuchel faces in Chelsea rebuild

CFCBecker: Everything seems to move slow, is it moving slow? Or is a lot happening behind the scenes?

"There is plenty going on behind the scenes; that is inevitable given the purchase of the club was only completed two weeks ago! There are plenty of off-field priorities to work through – season tickets, next season's kit, commercial deals, reassuring employees – in addition to the rebuild of Thomas Tuchel's squad.

"I appreciate many supporters want, and perhaps even expected, a flurry of signings as soon as the takeover was completed. Yet that was hugely unlikely in truth, especially given the uncertainty around so many members of Tuchel's squad. There are still big decisions to be made over potential outgoings."

READ MORE: Chelsea close in on summer signing with Thibaut Courtois roadmap to be followed by Todd Boehly

Davidhersey203: Hi Adam. Are there any updates on Ousmane Dembele's potential transfer to Chelsea?

Adam says: "In terms of a major update, sadly not. Chelsea remain in talks with Dembele's representatives and the Frenchman does appear to be open to a move to Stamford Bridge – where he would reunite with Thomas Tuchel. But as yet, a contract hasn't been agreed."

iassegaf: Are we looking at Raphinha as a potential Dembele alternative? Before the sanctions, I saw reports that we were interested?

Adam says: "Pre-sanctions, Chelsea put in some groundwork in terms of a deal for Raphinha. A big part of the reason for that was had Leeds gone down – as looked likely in February – the Brazilian would've been able to leave Elland Road for around £20million. That would've been a bargain price.

"However, Leeds staying up has resulted in the price for Raphinha being set at around the £60million mark and that is a huge fee for Chelsea to pay given they currently have a large number of attackers already on their books. That remains a problem and I feel that is something that is going to have to be sorted before a new player – barring Dembele because of his contract situation – is brought into the frontline."

Rebeccacfc: While everybody is sweating over possible incomings, I've been more concerned with the lack of outgoing links regarding alot of our fringe players ie. Barkley, Sarr, Kepa etc. What is the likelihood that they remain beyond this summer and that some academy graduates are instead sold to generate revenue as there's more of a market/suitors for them?

"The problem Chelsea constantly face when trying to move on fringe players is that many are on good money – and they know they will not get the same at their next club. Ross Barkley, for instance, is understood to earn around £100,00 a week.

"There is interest from Italy in Kepa while Malang Sarr has suitors outside of the Premier League. Barkley I've not heard much on. Chelsea were happy for him to move on last summer but no bid arrived and it was the same story in January.

John3489: As we are crying out for a defensive midfielder is there any chance we could hijack the Yves Bissouma deal? If not do we have any other realistic targets as I think Declan Rice will not be done this summer?

"In terms of Bissouma, I don't think there is any chance of Chelsea trying to hijack the deal from Tottenham. The club have held a level of interest for some time but have never made an offer to Brighton.

"Rice remains top of the Tuchel wishlist in terms of a defensive midfield signing – and there is a growing suspicion that West Ham will at least come to the negotiating table if a sizeable bid is made for the England international this summer.

"An alternative that has been mooted is Ibrahim Sangare, but from what I gather Chelsea haven't made an offer for the PSV midfielder as yet."

Davidhersey203. Will the Jules Kounde injury rule out a transfer to Chelsea?

Adam says: "The surgery that Kounde is undergoing today isn't major and it is expected – or perhaps hoped – the recovery time is a matter of a few weeks. If that proves the case, there is no reason to fear he won't become a Chelsea player this summer.

"And keep in mind that because Kounde has been on international duty this month, he wouldn't have been returning to pre-season until its second week anyway."

Rebeccacfc: Given that incomings in midfield and attack are likely dependent on outgoings, are sales for the likes of Jorginho and Lukaku really feasible?

"There is definitely an interest in Jorginho from Juventus, that's no secret at this stage. Whether they throw down a bid that tempts Chelsea into selling is another matter. But I think it may be the right time for Jorginho to move on given what he has achieved and the fact he has just one year left on his contract.

"With Lukaku, it's clear he wants to go back to Inter Milan and I really don't think it's wise for Chelsea to fight to keep him around. Of course, the deal has to be right – and it's likely to be a loan – but it's a transfer that simply hasn't worked out and it's better to move on if possible."

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