CHELSEA have received a boost in their pursuit of Anthony Gordon, with the striker removing all reference to current club Everton on Instagram.
They are also said to have held positive talks with former Arsenal skipper Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with the parties comfortably reaching a landing zone in contract negotiations.
There is said to be an increasing optimism at Chelsea and Barcelona that a deal can be done, but the Blues are not ready to reach Barcelona's £25m asking price.
Aubameyang is said to be regarded as a stopgap until next summer, when Chelsea will reportedly look to sign top target Christopher Nkunku of RB Leipzig.
It is also reported that Chelsea have agreed terms with Wesley Fofana, though are yet to reach an agreement with Leicester.
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- Kostas Lianos
Parlour on Aubameyang
Arsenal hero Ray Parlour still thinks Barcelona star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang can succeed at Chelsea.
Parlour added: “For me it’s a no brainer for Chelsea, it really is.
“[Timo] Werner has gone back to RB Leipzig, so they’re lacking goals.
“So Aubameyang will definitely score. Before he signed his new contract at Arsenal, he was brilliant. He won the FA Cup for Arsenal on his own.
“So he’d be a good signing, if you can get him for one season, he’ll be coming back to prove people wrong that’s what he’ll be trying to do”
- Kostas Lianos
Auba to you
Arsenal hero Ray Parlour believes Barcelona star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could harm Chelsea’s Champions League pursuit.
Parlour told TalkSPORT: “I don’t think Arsenal fans would be too happy.
“[Chelsea are] Arsenal’s rivals, that’s who they’re going to be competing with if they’re going to try and get in that top four this season.
“But Aubameyang has been pushed out, he might want to play in the Premier League still, Mikel Arteta made it clear he’s going to be leaving”
- Kostas Lianos
Thomas Tuchel warning
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel warned his players they won't be able to win matches if they keep giving goals away like they did against Leeds.
Tuchel said: “If we give goals away like this that are unnecessary when we are totally in charge, we cannot win matches.
“We lost the game in the first 20 minutes — we were clearly better and had huge chances. But we did not take what we deserved. We stopped doing good and gave two presents away.
“We got frustrated but it is what it is. This is the squad. My energy goes to the squad we have, we try to make the squad better but if we don’t, we fight with what we have”
- Kostas Lianos
Tuchel on Mendy
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel revealed no one is more "disappointed" than Edouard Mendy after his mistake against Leeds.
“He knows himself. He knows it’s a mistake.
"Everybody in the world sees that mistake and it is a huge one at a crucial time of the match. It does not help.
“He is the one who is most disappointed. It cost us a lot”
- Kostas Lianos
Road to nowhere
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel seemed to blame his team's thrashing at Leeds on him and his coaches having to take a long bus ride.
After the Blues' 3-0 defeat, Tuchel said: "Everything that can go wrong, did go wrong.
"It started yesterday. We had no plane to arrive so we came on the bus.
"The players could fly but for the coaching staff it was a long ride on the bus. It continued today"
- Kostas Lianos
Final De Jong bid
Manchester United will make one final push to sign Barcelona star and Chelsea target Frenkie de Jong.
United have been pursuing De Jong all summer long and even agreed a £72million deal with Barca.
However, they have been unsuccessful in their bid to lure De Jong to Old Trafford with the deal complicated by money still owed to the midfielder.
The Blaugrana are under increasing financial pressure having failed to register new signing Jules Kounde, and are in need of at least one major sale to ease their burden.
According to journalist Marcel van der Kraan, the Red Devils will try their luck with the Netherlands international again with further funds available if necessary
- Kostas Lianos
Pulisic dad reacts
Chelsea ace Christian Pulisic's dad liked a tweet ripping into manager Thomas Tuchel amid speculation over his son's future at the club.
The Blues were hammered 3-0 by Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday and that marked their first Premier League defeat of the season.
Pulisic, who has been linked with a loan move to Manchester United, came off the bench after 64 minutes with the score at 2-0.
And the forward's father Mark liked a post after the match which criticised Tuchel's treatment of his son.
The tweet read: "Chelsea needs a confident Pulisic. Tuchel is a destroyer of players and of team dynamics.
"Without the ability to build and inspire them, he is only left to discard what he has broken and buy new to only rinse and repeat"
- Kostas Lianos
Wesley Fofana alternative
Chelsea are weighing up a shock move for Brighton ace Adam Webster.
Webster is seen as an alternative to Leicester star Wesley Fofana, claim the Daily Mail.
The Foxes are holding out for £80million despite Fofana wanting a move away and being dropped by manager Brendan Rodgers as a result.
The Blues are a long way off matching the price tag Leicester have put on the centre-back after seeing two bids rejected already.
And if they don't lower their demands they are willing to switch their focus on Webster.
The centre-back has impressed at Brighton playing a key role in their solid defensive set-up and their possession-based system
Credit: Andy Hooper-The Daily Mail - Kostas Lianos
Aubameyang swap deal
Chelsea have submitted a bid for Barcelona star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and offered Marcos Alonso in exchange.
Barca have been linked with a move for Alonso for much of the summer transfer window after already pinching Andreas Christensen off the Blues.
And though the West Londoners previously ended negotiations to sell the defender to the Catalans, they have now offered up the Spaniard along with £15million for Aubameyang, report The Athletic.
It is believed negotiating personal terms with the striker will not be a problem, with the Gabon international opting to join Chelsea over Manchester United.
But the ex-Arsenal star is happy at the Nou Camp and would like to stay – with manager Xavi also wanting to keep hold of him.
However, the Blaugrana need to sell to ease their financial turmoil and wish to remove his £80,000 a week salary from their wage bill
- Kostas Lianos
Wesley Fofana latest
Leicester star Wesley Fofana has been left out of Brendan Rodgers’ starting line-up as he is “not in the right frame of mind” amid transfer interest from Chelsea.
Rodgers confirmed the reason for Fofana’s absence ahead of the Foxes’ Premier League clash with Southampton on Saturday.
He told Sky Sports: “I mentioned in the week about coming into a Premier League game and maybe we have some players that just aren’t in the right frame of mind.”
Rodgers’ added during a press conference: “If the players aren’t totally focused and committed to the club and being here, or for whatever reason just aren’t in the right mindset, that won’t help us.
“We have to ensure everyone is really focused in order for us to play the best game we can. I will always assess that after the sessions”
- Kostas Lianos
Ivan Toney reminder
Chelsea and Everton have joined Manchester United in the race to sign Brentford star Ivan Toney.
United are keen on Toney and could launch a bid before the end of the window, but they may not be the only ones.
According to the Mirror, the Blues and the Toffees also see the 26-year-old as the answer to their respective forward woes.
The West Londoners are still looking to bolster their attack after losing Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner
- Sam Dymond
Blues back to winning ways?
Chelsea can put their Elland Road horror show behind them at the first opportunity when they host Leicester City next weekend.
The Foxes have made their worst start to a season for 12 years, and are fighting off transfer speculation linking their star names with moves away.
In fact, the Blues' next three games come against clubs that have begun the campaign with concerns, and then follows a West London derby at Fulham and a home clash with Liverpool.
- Sam Dymond
Sassuolo join race for Ampadu
Ethan Ampadu could be in line for a return to Italy after it emerged that Sassuolo were interested in taking the defender on loan.
Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the Serie A outfit have joined Empoli and Spezia in tracking the Welsh international.
Ampadu spent a successful season at Venezia last term despite picking up 12 yellow cards and two reds.
The 21-year-old returned to Stamford Bridge hoping to challenge for a first team place, but has yet to feature despite being named on the bench for yesterday's thumping at Leeds.
Ampadu has already expressed his desire for regular football with the November's World Cup on the horizon.
- Sam Dymond
Foxes prepared to sell Fofana
Leicester City appear to have finally relented and are now willing to sell Wesley Fofana to Chelsea.
That's according to CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs, who believes that the Foxes have softened their stance following a series of meetings between the player and manager Brenden Rodgers.
However, Leicester still want to recoup a large transfer fee for the 21-year-old defender, and require a significant amount up front in order to reinforce their squad before the close of the window.
The Blues are now thought to be preparing a structured offer that could eventually rise to around the £80m mark.
- Sam Dymond
Stamford Bridge return for Morata?
Chelsea are considering a surprise move for their former flop Alvaro Morata IF they fail to land Barcelona's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Blues are growing increasingly frustrated with their pursuit of Aubameyang, refusing to meet Barca's value of the forward while attempting to include Marcos Alonso as part of the deal.
It means Thomas Tuchel may be forced to look elsewhere for a striker, and Diario SPORT understand that Atletico Madrid's Morata is on the shortlist.
The 29-year-old previously made 74 appearances for Chelsea between 2017 and 2020, scoring 24 goals.
- Sam Dymond
Blues lure Seagull to Web
Chelsea have already spent big to buy one Brighton defender this month, and could return to the south coast to land another.
The Blues have been constantly thwarted in their effort to bring in another centre-back this summer, and are now thought to be weighing up a bid for Adam Webster.
The Mail suggest that a shock move for the 27-year-old could be on the cards should they fail to prise Wesley Fofana from Leicester.
The Stamford Bridge outfit have so far missed out on Jules Kounde, Presnel Kimpembe and Matthijs de Ligt during this transfer window.
- Sam Dymond
Jorginho: Mendy will bounce back
Edouard Mendy has the right mentality to put his Elland Road howler behind him, according to Jorginho.
Chelsea's stand-in skipper was speaking to the club's official website following the 3-0 defeat to Leeds.
And the Italian believes that now is not the time to dwell on Mendy's mistake.
The Blues goalkeeper was needlessly caught in possession by Brenden Aaronson, leading to Leeds' opening goal yesterday afternoon.
Its not nice to see, especially a team-mate. Everyone has been there. He is strong and has a strong mentality. It’s time to move on. These things can happen but it is about how we come back in the next game.
Jorginhochelseafc.com
- Sam Dymond
Ziyech takes flight after thrashing
Hakim Ziyech trudged off the field at the end of Chelsea's 3-0 thumping at Leeds…
…and immediately jumped on a plane to Amsterdam in order to seal a return move to Ajax.
That's according to journalist Gerjan Hamstelaar, who joined Twitter followers by using a flight tracker to monitor the movements of a private jet leaving Yorkshire for the Dutch capital.
Ziyech, who came on for the final 26 minutes at Elland Road as the Blues chased the game, has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge this summer.
Credit: @TheEuropeanLad Twitter - Sam Dymond
Blues defender Chalobah attracting attention
Chelsea have been frustrated this summer in their attempts to bring in new centre-backs…
…but the club still seem prepared to let another leave.
Trevoh Chalobah is apparently surplus to requirements at the Bridge, and, according to the Evening Standard, is attracting attention from Inter Milan, Roma and Tottenham.
The 23-year-old enjoyed something of a breakthrough season with the Blues last year, making 30 appearances in all competitions.
- Joshua Mbu
Morning Chelsea fans
Chelsea suffered a humiliating defeat away at Leeds on Sunday as Jesse Marsch's side beat them 3-0 at Elland Road.
A horror mistake from goalkeeper Edouard Mendy allowed Brenden Aaronson to break the deadlock after he robbed him off possession.
Rodrigo then doubled the hosts' lead with a header in the 37th minute, before Jack Harrison put Leeds three up in the 69th minute.
And things went from bad to worse for Chelsea after Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off for a second yellow card in the closing stages.
Meanwhile, Chelsea and Everton have joined Manchester United in the race to sign Brentford star Ivan Toney.
According to the Mirror, the Blues see the 26-year-old as the answer to their forward problems.
In other news, Man Utd are reportedly set to BLOCK a transfer exit for Harry Maguire after Chelsea made a shock enquiry.
The Guardian claims Thomas Tuchel’s side are interested in signing the Red Devils captain this summer.
Chelsea’s top target remains Leicester’s Wesley Fofana.
And finally, Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez has revealed he spoke to Romelu Lukaku every day during his horror Chelsea stay.
Lukaku, 29, was reunited with Martinez after returning to Inter on loan this summer.
- Jake Lambourne
De Jong starts for Barcelona
Man Utd and Chelsea target Frenkie de Jong is refusing to let transfer talk get in the way.
The Dutch midfielder was named in the starting XI for Barcelona's trip to Real Sociedad.
And unlike in pre-season where he was deployed as a centre-back, De Jong started in the middle of the pitch.
It is understood that the player is determined to remain at the Nou Camp this summer.
That is despite the Blaugrana open to selling him to ease their financial situation.
- Jake Lambourne
Pulisic plans Chelsea stay
Chelsea ace Christian Pulisic will fight his way into Thomas Tuchel’s starting line-up despite concerns over game time, according to USA boss Gregg Berhalter.
Berhalter said: “He’s a fighter, you’re gonna see he’s gonna get on the field. He may not be a starter, every year you hear that and every year he ends up on the field because of his contribution.
“He’s a goalscorer. He’s a winner. What I’ve seen from him in the last couple of years is his mentality has completely shifted and he embraces stuff like this.
“He’s not scared of challenges like this and I’m excited to see how he performs this year”
- Jake Lambourne
Coach trip
Man Utd blamed Chelsea's defeat at Leeds on not being able to fly to west Yorkshire.
The German revealed the Blues coaching staff were forced to take a bus to get to Elland Road this weekend.
His players were able to fly up north but Tuchel was left moaning about a "long ride" up the motorway for him and his coaching staff.
After Chelsea's 3-0 defeat Tuchel said: "Everything that can go wrong, did go wrong. It started yesterday. We had no plane to arrive so we came on the bus. The players could fly but for the coaching staff it was a long ride on the bus.
"It continued today. We lost the game in the first 20 minutes, where we were clearly better and had huge chances.
"A lot of touches in the box but we miss the target and do not take what we deserve. We then stopped doing what we were doing good and it was even for 15 minutes and in those we gave two presents.
"We were clearly the better team. They do what they do. I don't see that a set-piece and own goal [Mendy's mistake] are due to the style. They are mistakes.
"If we give goals away like this that are totally unnecessary and when we are totally in charge we cannot win football matches. We tried second-half and I am disappointed we lost that half as well. They made the maximum of their half-chances and we did not."
- Jake Lambourne
Morris back Aubameyang's Chelsea switch
Former Chelsea star Jody Morris has backed Chelsea to make a move for Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
After the Blues were humbled 3-0 by Leeds, Morris stressed the need to bring in a centre-forward.
Speaking to Stadium Astro, he was asked whether ex-Arsenal skipper Aubameyang would be a solution for Thomas Tuchel.
To which he said: "You’d have to say he’d improve the team at the moment because he’s a renown goalscorer.
"I think he would function more as a No.9, I don’t think you’d find him out wide or playing on the left like he did quite a few times for Arsenal.
"I think if Chelsea were to sign him they’d want him to operate down the middle.
"I’m not sure if there are others out there or whether that’s the one they’re doing for, but they definitely need something."
- Jake Lambourne
As Luk would have it
Inter Milan star Lautaro Martinez has revealed he spoke to Romelu Lukaku every day during his horror Chelsea stay.
Lukaku, 29, was reunited with Martinez after returning to Inter on loan this summer.
Martinez told Sky Italia: "I am very happy he came back because he said we need to battle against everyone.
"He’ll give us a big hand and we will continue battling alongside him.
"We kept in contact and spoke every day from the moment he left. He is a great help to this team.
"We all want to keep improving, we have four talented strikers and all bring different characteristics."
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