CHELSEA will travel to Brighton on Monday, September 14 in their opening Premier League fixture.
And Marina Granovskaia will hope to have completed the signing of Kai Havertz by then, along with other targets such as Ben Chilwell and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Follow all the latest transfer updates from the Bridge below…
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IT'S QUIDS FOR SQUADS
Manchester City have the most valuable squad in world football – worth nearly £1BILLION.
Thanks to the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Man City's squad has a combined market value of £958MILLION, according to figures from Transfermarkt.
Guardiola's crop sit ahead of Barcelona (£955m) and Premier League champions Liverpool (£917m) in total value.
Incredibly, FIVE of the top ten are taken up by Premier League clubs.
As well as City and Liverpool, Chelsea sit sixth (£727m).
Manchester United are ninth with a squad value of £685m, one spot ahead of tenth-placed Tottenham (£637m).
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TAKING THE MC
Former West Ham star Frank McAvennie reckons Declan Rice is worth nearly as much as Harry Maguire.
Chelsea have been heavily linked with the West Ham midfielder, who Frank Lampard wants to turn into a defender.
The former striker said: “You’re talking about £80million for Harry Maguire.
“I think that if he’s worth that then West Ham will be thinking that Declan’s worth somewhere between £60million to £80million.”
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IN BLACK AND WHITE
Leeds United have made a third bid of £25million for Brighton centre-back Ben White, according to reports.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a stunning loan spell at Elland Road last season, featuring in all 46 games as the Whites were promoted back to the Premier League.
And boss Marcelo Bielsa is desperate to land him on a permanent basis as he prepares to take on the top flight.
White is Leeds' No1 target this summer, with the Whites having already lodged bids of around £18.5m and £22m for his services.
With Brighton having turned them down, however, Sky Sports claim that a third of around £25m plus add-ons has now been submitted.
Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal have all shown interest in the Seagulls ace.
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THREE… MAGIC NUMBER?
Chelsea fans are wondering if Marcos Alonso has been told that he no longer has the No3 jersey at Stamford Bridge.
It could make for an awkward conversation with the gaffer after the players return from their holidays.
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JUST IN
Xavier Mbuyamba has been unveiled as a Chelsea player and will wear the No3 jersey at Stamford Bridge.
Here he is with the new shirt being shown around Cobham.
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DEADLINE LOOMING
Chelsea transfer guru Marina Granoviskaia has been told by Bayer Leverkusen that she has to get the Kai Havertz deal done by August 28.
That gives football’s most powerful woman a WEEK to wrap up the transfer.
According to Kevin Palmer, Leverkusen want the deal sorted either way in seven days’ time, in order to get a replacement in for next season.
The two sides were, at last glance, around £9million apart in their valuations for the attacking midfielder, 21.
Havertz has his heart set on a switch to Stamford Bridge, but Chelsea also need to get business done in defence and midfield.
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INTERNACIONAL MAN OF MYSTERY
Alexandre Pato is “expected” to seal a return to Internacional in the coming days, reports claim.
The Brazilian burst onto the scene there in 2006, impressing at the age of just 17 as he helped them win the Club World Cup.
And now 13 years after departing for an initially prolific spell at AC Milan, Pato looks likely to return to Porto Alegre.
The 30-year-old's contract at Sao Paulo was terminated on Wednesday, leaving him free to select his next club.
According to Brazilian outlet Gauza ZH, Internacional expect to overcome the hurdle of the player's salary and seal his return in the coming days.
His former side will not be able to match the wages that he earned at Sao Paulo, but they feel that a deal laced with “productivity clauses” such as goal bonuses will do the trick.
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DONE DEAL – MBU'S A BLUE
Chelsea have completed the signing of high-touted centre-back Xavier Mbuyamba.
The Blues have agreed a three-year deal with the 18-year-old – who left Barcelona after just a year due to a lack of game time.
He penned a professional contract with Chelsea earlier this week and will now join the development squad ahead of the new season.
Mbuyama – likened to Virgil van Dijk – had a trial with Chelsea in the 2018/19 season but was unable to sign at the time due to the their transfer ban.
He instead spent the majority of his youth career with Dutch side MVV Maastricht.
But Mbuyamba then joined Barcelona last summer and played for their Under-19 side, making three Uefa Youth League appearances.
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TIEM TO GO
Chelsea are reportedly in talks with Lyon over a £40million deal for Tiemoue Bakayoko.
Telefoot Chaine reports the Ligue 1 side have made contact over a deal.
The club are preparing for life after Housseam Aouar – with another of Premier League big guns after him.
The Blues want cash for Bakayoko after a number of loan deals.
He could also return to AC Milan – where he spent a year on loan two years ago.
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OL BE FINE
Chelsea's Olivier Giroud will not be worried about the arrival of Timo Werner, according to Louis Saha.
Werner has moved to Stamford Bridge from RB Leipzig in a deal worth £53million.
Saha told the Football Index Podcast: “Olivier Giroud is a very tough cookie and he will not worry too much about the arrival of Timo Werner at Chelsea.
“Giroud wants to score and he wants to help his teammates. He is a competitor and wherever he is, he will always perform.
“Giroud is very motivated and I’m sure that next year we will hear about him again.”
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HOLI-YAY?
Chelsea have the second highest number of days off out of their fellow top six rivals.
The Blues have a total of 37 days between crashing out to Bayern Munich in the Champions League and their first Premier League fixture.
Frank Lampard's troops are due to start 2020-21 on September 14.
London rivals Arsenal have the shortest amount of time to turn around into the new campaign.
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HE KANT SURELY…
Chelsea star N'Golo Kante is being linked with a surprise move to Manchester United.
A number of bets on the move have seen the odds on French World Cup winner Kante becoming a Red Devil slashed.
According to Oddschecker, United are front runners in the race to sign Kante – who could be offloaded by Frank Lampard as part of his squad revamp.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are priced at just 1/2 to poach former Foxes title-winner Kante from West London.
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XAV THAT
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Xavier Mbuyamba from Barcelona.
The 18-year-old centre-back has signed on a free transfer until 2023.
He is likely to play youth football for the Blues or be shipped out on loan.
Definitely one for the future, the Holland Under-19 international is highly rated and at 6ft 5in will be a towering presence in the heart of the defence.
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IZ OFF AGAIN
Chelsea's Izzy Brown has joined Sheffield Wednesday on a season-long loan.
The 23-year-old spent last season on loan at Luton Town.
The versatile midfielder has appeared once for the Blues and will being his seventh loan spell.
The former England Under-20s star made 28 appearances for the Hatters in the Championship last term and will once again play in the second tier.
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JORGIN-GO?
Chelsea midfielder Jorginho could follow ex-team-mate Pedro by heading to Roma.
The Guardian reports Roma are interested in bringing the 28-year-old back to Italy.
And the Blues are supposedly open to letting the former Napoli man leave.
Frank Lampard's side are trying to balance the books as they splash the cash on stars like Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech and Kai Havertz reportedly on his way too.
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WHITE LINES
Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Brighton defender Ben White.
The defender spent last season on loan with Leeds United and won promotion to the Premier League as Championship winners.
The Guardian reports Frank Lampard is a fan of the player and the Blues as well as Liverpool are monitoring his situation with the Seagull suggesting the talented centre-back is not for sale.
Leeds have already had two bids rejected and made a third of £25million but Brighton are holding firm.
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KAI HIGH
Chelsea are moving towards a deal for Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz THIS WEEK.
The Guardian reports the Blues are edging towards a deal as they creep up towards the German side's £90million valuation.
Frank Lampard's side originally offered around £72m but after productive meetings between club bosses are thought to be boosting their bid.
And The Telegraph reports Havertz will sign a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge if the gap in valuations can be ironed out.
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FIXTURES LIST
Here are Chelsea's fixtures in full this season.
Remember, many of the kick-off times will change depending on what games the broadcasters want to show.
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CALL OF DUTY
Callum Hudson-Odoi has been putting in some extra yards as Chelsea's fixtures got announced today.
Here he is working out on a 3G pitch with one of the club's coaches.
The 19-year-old suffered an injury in February that he overcame and began to feature again in the Blues' fifth game post-lockdown.
But he has realised he needs to put in extra work to get back to being first choice for Frank Lampard next term, with plenty of competition among Chelsea's ranks.
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BIG GAMES FOR BLUES
Here are some important Premier League fixtures for Chelsea in the upcoming season.
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BOX CLEVER
Fans will reportedly be treated to an extra 20 live Premier League games in 2020/21 although NONE will be free.
There was hope that, with fans not expected to return to stadiums for a couple of months at least, broadcasters will again allow for a handful of free-to-air games.
However, Sky Sports, BT Sport and Amazon Prime are said to have successfully banded together to keep matches on their subscription services.
The Mail report that, with fans locked out for the start of the campaign at least, 20 more games will be shown.
Sky's total has been bolstered by 12 to total a whopping 140 live games, with BT handed six more to make 58.
Online streaming service Amazon Prime, which secured a number of games from the decision to show every game during the lockdown, ups its tally from 20 to 22.
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KAI GETTING CLOSER?
Chelsea HAVE made an improved offer above the £77million they initially thrust under the noses of Bayer Leverkusen, according to reports.
The Blues are hoping to get a deal for less than the £90m valuation the Bundesliga side have on the 21-year-old.
Leverkusen have reportedly lowered their asking price to £86m, giving Chelsea the chance to make the next move.
Jan Aage Fjortoft tweeted: “Havertz latest.
“Chelsea have offered 85 mill Euro. Leverkusen will accept 95 mill. Negotiations ongoing.”
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'LET'S CASH IN'
Gabrielle Marcotti is convinced Leverkusen are trying to squeeze every penny out of Chelsea in the chase for Kai Havertz.
He told ESPN: “I don’t know, it to me continues to smack of Leverkusen saying ‘oh let's try to cash in on Havertz, let’s try to strike while the iron is hot.
“I don’t think Chelsea are in any rush, I don’t think Chelsea feel that they need Kai Havertz, given the players they’ve already added, Werner and Ziyech and the players who are already there, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek and the list goes on.
“But equally Chelsea are saying ‘if there’s a chance to get this guy on terms we like because yeah we’re going to go for it, because apparently he wants to come to us.’
“So I don’t think Chelsea are going to budge from their position or inch upwards or Lampard is going to force the club to say ‘I need Havertz now’, not when they have more important positions to fill.”
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SILVA'S A GO-GO
Thiago Silva has been offered to Chelsea, AC Milan and Fiorentina, according to reports in Italy.
The experienced Brazilian is leaving PSG after this season, with one game to go for the French club: the Champions League final.
If he can lift Old Big Ears and walk away with club football's biggest trophy then Chelsea fans would surely be keen to have him at Stamford Bridge.
However, Silva turns 36 just 10 days after the new season starts and his best years are most certainly behind him.
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GET WELL MICHAEL
Ex-Chelsea star Michael Ballack has undergone an operation to remove a tumour in his back.
Doctors found the growth during a routine MRI scan.
He immediately underwent surgery in Hanover to remove the tumour from near his spinal cord.
And according to Bild, the German football legend has thankfully been given the all-clear by doctors, with the tumour revealed to be benign.
And the 43-year-old is now recovering on holiday in Portugal, where he is enjoying watching his former team Bayern Munich in the Champions League on television.
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