Chelsea are set to sign Marco Palestra, and a move for Maxence Lacroix is well underway. But the Blues are not going to stop there, and a Leeds United player has emerged on Chelsea’s radar.
Palestra is set to sign a seven-year contract at Chelsea – expected to be six years with the option of one more – after the Blues blew Inter Milan out of the water. Palestra was Serie A’s 25-26 defender of the year.
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Since the reports emerged that Chelsea have agreed a move for the 21-year-old Italy international, it was then claimed that Chelsea are plotting a £50m move for Maxence Lacroix. He is keen to join Chelsea.
But neither Palestra – despite his versatility and his weak-foot ability – nor Lacroix will be seen as cover for the loss of Marc Cucurella. Plenty of left-backs have been linked, and now, there is another name.
Potter once defended new Chelsea target Gabriel Gudmundsson
According to Swedish newspaper Expressen, Chelsea are interested in Gabriel Gudmundsson. The Leeds United left-back has sparkled over the last 12 months since his move to Elland Road from Lille.
Leeds fans are big admirers of the Sweden star, renowned for his incessant work rate and lung-busting runs up and down the left flank. Gudmundsson can play as a wing-back, full-back, or left of a back three.
Chelsea have plenty of names on their left-back shortlist, including Andrea Cambiaso, Maxi Araujo, Lewis Hall, and Alvaro Carreras. But Gudmundsson is a new name, whom Graham Potter once had to defend.
Following a 4-1 loss to Switzerland, Gudmundsson was guilty of a mistake that led to a Swiss penalty, which saw Potter’s men go 2-1 down. The former Chelsea manager defended Gudmundsson post-match.
“It’s part of football. Mistakes happen, and we win and lose as a team. He’s had a tough week dealing with an injury. He’s an honest player. He wants the team to play well. It’s part of life, and we move on.”
Leeds United set reluctant asking price for Gudmundsson
Given his form for Leeds since his £10m move to the Premier League, Daniel Farke will not want to lose his left-back. Gudmundsson has become a key part of Leeds’ side, and Chelsea will have to pay a big fee.
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Serie A's Best Defender of 2025-26.
A report from TeamTalk says Leeds now value Gudmundsson at three times the fee they paid Lille last summer. A £30m figure would have to change hands for Leeds to green-light Gudmundsson’s departure.
Whether Chelsea have to sell first remains to be seen, especially with almost £100m set to leave Chelsea’s coffers on Lacroix and Palestra. Plenty of Blues players are being linked with the exit door this summer.
Chelsea want a similar fee for Trevoh Chalobah, with Como interested and Inter Milan loosely linked. Maybe there is a world where Chelsea cash in on the England defender and use it to sign Gudmundsson.
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