Chelsea made a late attempt to hijack a deal from Tottenham Hotspur to sign Everton’s Richarlison, it has been revealed.
The 25-year-old looks set to join Antonio Conte’s side, however, as the Blues have been unsuccessful in their attempt.
Chelsea have been linked with a host of attackers in the summer transfer window as Thomas Tuchel looks to rebuild his squad.
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Raphinha was said to be considering personal terms from the Blues after Leeds United accepted a £55 million offer from Chelsea.
However, with his preferred move said to be Barcelona, the player’s agent is in Spain to see whether a move can happen.
The Catalan club are ‘very alive’ in the race to sign Raphinha, handing Chelsea a blow.
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With a move being thrown into doubt, Chelsea acted to try and hijack Tottenham’s deal for Richarlison.
As reported by Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea made an attempt to hijack the deal before an agreement between Everton and Tottenham was struck on Thursday morning.
Spurs will pay £60 million to sign the Everton star, having a full agreement with both the club and the player.
He is set for his medical in Brazil before signing for Conte’s side as Chelsea miss out.
It is unclear as to what this means for the Raphinha deal, with it previously reported that Chelsea would press on with interest in Raphinha, Richarlison and Raheem Sterling.
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It was stated that it was unlikely that Tuchel’s side would sign all three, but with confidence in a move over Sterling and a fee agreed with Leeds for Raphinha, the Blues also went in for Richarlison.
Despite looking to be unsuccessful in any potential hijacking, Chelsea had success in the past.
Willian was signed after completing a medical at Tottenham previously, and it looks like Todd Boehly tried to make history repeat itself as he attempted to move for Richarlison.
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The Blues will likely see several attackers depart this summer as they look to rebuild their squad.
AC Milan are preparing a €30 million offer for Hakim Ziyech during this transfer window.
A loan deal looks likely as the fee of an obligation to buy would be €25 million, with €5 million as an initial loan fee, taking the total fee of the deal to €30 million.
Chelsea are set to meet with Raphinha’s agent, Deco, on Thursday to discuss personal terms as they remain hopeful of completing his signature.
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Richarlison, Tottenham Hotspur, Everton, Transfers, Football, Premier League
Nick Emms