CHELSEA are ramping up their transfer plans ahead of the return of the Premier League season.
Frank Lampard is targeting boyhood Blues fan Jadon Sancho and has also reportedly made a "mega offer" to Napoli's Dries Mertens.
Get all the latest news and gossip from Stamford Bridge here…
GIFT OF THE GAB
Everton reportedly remain desperate to land Chelsea target Gabriel Magalhaes from Ligue 1 side Lille.
The 22-year-old is expected to leave the French club in the summer, and has been heavily linked with a switch to the Premier League.
And it is the Toffees who are believed to be winning the race to land the Brazilian centre-back.
According to Sky Sports, the defender is a priority for Carlo Ancelotti, who is determined to bring him to Goodison Park.
DRIES LIGHTNING
Chelsea have made a “mega offer” to Napoli's Dries Mertens, according to reports.
The Belgian is a free agent this summer and the Blues are determined to snap him up, according to the front page of today's Corriere dello Sport.
Napoli's all-time top scorer is a key transfer target for Inter, but Chelsea's bid could blow former boss Antonio Conte out of the water.
GOLD AGE
EXCLUSIVE – Joe Cole has pleaded with Chelsea to copy Manchester United and keep three of their biggest names from leaving when their contracts expire – because they could help produce the best Chelsea team ever.
Club heroes Willian, Olivier Giroud and Pedro are all set to exit Stamford Bridge at the end of the season – whenever that is.
Cole says Lampard – who fielded Chelsea’s youngest ever starting XI in the Premier League in November with an average age of 24 years and 88 days – should keep the three old-timers as a source of wisdom for his kids.
Former England playmaker Cole said: “Rightly so, we’ve credited the young players at Chelsea because they’ve come through, burst onto the scene and been amazing.
“But Giroud, Willian and Pedro are three top class players who have been really massive for the club, particularly Willian, who’s a club legend, the players and the fans love him.
“I hope they can hang onto that experience – if they want to be part of this new, exciting team that they’re building.
“They can use that experience in the same way that Manchester United hung onto Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary and Phil Neville.
“If they can accept that role where they’re coming in – that they might not play as much as they used to but they’re helping blood an era which could be as good as any era in the club’s history – then there’s a role to play for all of them.
“I think they’re all world class players and it would be tough for any club to replace those three.”
GOOD MORNING CHELSEA FANS
Premier League rebels were silenced as the split between clubs over ending the season early was laid bare.
Yesterday's meeting of the 20 teams saw one Big Six executive call out the sides who proposed a June 30 finish date.
The leading club chief tore into them on the video call to demand they stick with the League’s position of playing out the season.
In an outburst that signalled the anger of the Big Six — Manchester United, City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham — the exec told them: “Our aim is to finish this season and protect the start of next season.
“Everybody should get on board and those who don’t, or who are suggesting other things, are being totally disingenuous and unbelievable.”
Top-flight players could be asked to turn up for training already in their KIT to avoid changing rooms and may then get Covid-19 tests in their cars as soon as they arrive.
SunSport told you how Joe Cole is “working harder than ever” raising £750,000 in less than a month to provide frontline NHS workers with personal protective equipment.
The former Chelsea favourite, 38, was one of the first footballers to lead the fight against coronavirus when he stumped up £25,000 of his own cash last month.
He has since started charity Heroes which has purchased 70 3D printers at their London hub capable of making 1,700 visors a day for our healthcare heroes.
Chelsea were joined by champions Liverpool, Leicester and Manchester United in the Champions League spots in a new-data driven simulation of the 2019/20 Premier League season.
The project undertaken by FiveThirtyEight sees previous team data collated to simulate the remaining games of the season and produce a final Premier League table for the campaign currently suspended because of coronavirus.
Jose Mourinho reportedly agreed to take over Liverpool before Chelsea swooped in with a massive offer in 2004, an explosive book has claimed.
The Special One had an agreement to join the Reds from Porto in 2004 to replace Gerard Houllier, only for the Blues and Roman Abramovich to hijack the deal.
Mourinho's adviser at the time, Jorge Baidek recalled: “Mourinho should have gone to Liverpool. Rick Parry [then chief executive] was in charge of transfers and we had an agreement. They asked us to wait for 15 days as Houllier was still the Reds' manager.”
Another ex-boss, Maurizio Sarri, opened up on his “conflictual” but “strong” relationship with the Chelsea squad to Juventus' YouTube channel.
Reece James has been selected as the Blues' representative at the inaugural ePremier League Invitational Tournament – the FIFA 20 competition involving all 20 top-flight clubs starts on Tuesday.
And finally, Arsenal and Chelsea could be feeling rather sheepish if they fail to land Gabriel Magalhaes in the summer.
That is because Lille president Gerard Lopez reckons the star defender will join a “really big club”.
He told Sky Sports: “He’s well on his way – if not this year – to potentially a really big club. I’m certain he’s on his way to the Brazilian national team at some point.”
NOT UNITED
Premier League rebels were silenced as the split between clubs over ending the season early was laid bare.
Today's meeting of the 20 teams saw one Big Six executive call out the sides who proposed a June 30 finish date.
They were considering asking for a full debate on a forced closure amid concern over around 80 Prem players’ contracts expiring and causing “chaos”.
But instead the leading club chief tore into them on the video call to demand they stick with the League’s position of playing out the season.
In an outburst that signalled the anger of the Big Six — Manchester United, City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham — the exec told them: “Our aim is to finish this season and protect the start of next season.
“Everybody should get on board and those who don’t, or who are suggesting other things, are being totally disingenuous and unbelievable.”
A Prem spokesperson said: “It is our objective to complete the 2019-20 season but all dates are tentative while the impact of Covid-19 develops.”
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