Transfer News

Chelsea have now fallen behind fierce rivals in race to sign £69m superstar

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Things have gone really well for Chelsea on the pitch recently, with Enzo Maresca’s men beating Paris Saint-Germain to win the Club World Cup last Sunday.

However, it looks like Chelsea could be about to suffer a little bit of a setback off it.

The Blues have made improvements to their attack this summer, bringing in Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens. Pedro is already justifying the club’s decision to spend big on him, scoring three goals in the Club World Cup.

Maresca has big plans for Pedro, but despite his and Gittens’ arrivals, Chelsea could still recruit another attacker who is capable of playing out wide. They face strong competition from Liverpool to sign one of their reported targets, though.

Real Madrid forward Rodrygo waving during warm up
Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Liverpool ahead of Chelsea in Rodrygo race

In May, it was claimed that Chelsea had spoken to Rodrygo’s camp about a potential move to Stamford Bridge this summer.

The Club World Cup and Conference League winners still appear to have an interest in the Real Madrid star, but they could miss out on his signature to Liverpool.

According to AS journalist Eduardo Burgos, the Premier League champions are ahead of both Chelsea and Arsenal in the race to sign Rodrygo.

Liverpool have already brought in Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen for a British-record fee and are also interested in Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak.

However, that may not prevent them from raiding Real Madrid to sign Rodrygo, it seems. As per Mundo Deportivo, the 24-year-old could cost as much as €80m (£69.3m).

Brazil players, including Rodrygo, celebrating after scoring against Colombia
Photo by Andre Ricardo/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images

How Rodrygo got on at Club World Cup

Unlike Chelsea, Rodrygo had a very disappointing Club World Cup, despite Real Madrid reaching the semi-finals of the competition.

In total, the Brazilian made just one start under Xabi Alonso. For those interested in signing him, such as Liverpool and Chelsea, it may give them a bit of encouragement.

Rodrygo’s Club World Cup statsTotal
Appearances3
Starts1
Minutes92
Goals0
Assists1
Via Transfermarkt

Ultimately, Rodrygo is unlikely to be a regular starter at Real Madrid next season so could perhaps be persuaded to leave the Santiago Bernabeu during this transfer window.