Mauricio Pochettino has now convinced Todd Boehly to bring Real Madrid No.15 Federico Valverde to Chelsea this summer.
That is according to SPORT in Spain.
If Chelsea do manage to find an agreement with Real Madrid, then Mauricio Pochettino could be getting his hands on the new Steven Gerrard.
What’s the story?
Well, that is not our opinion, but the viewpoint of Valverde’s fellow Uruguayan Luis Suarez.
The 36-year-old told Spanish news outlet MARCA: “Honestly – and there are the newspaper archives from 2017 when Fede debuted in the National Team – I already said that he reminded me of Steven Gerrard, who was my teammate at Liverpool.
“He has similar conditions. A box to box, with punch, change of pace, a lot of arrival. I don’t want to compare, but the characteristics are similar. I saw Fede coming and he has made tremendous progress, surrounded by big stars. He did very well.”
Valverde certainly has the attributes of a young Gerrard.
The 24-year-old is a remarkable athlete who can score goals and also set them up for his teammates, just like the Liverpool icon did across a number of years.
Valverde scored 12 goals and provided seven assists in the 2022/23 campaign, which is a superb return for a midfielder.
Chelsea may have to offer club-record sum to sign Valverde
By the sounds of it, a deal for Valverde will not be easy for Chelsea to wrap up.
While Pochettino has convinced Boehly to put £85m on the table, SPORT believe Real Madrid view their Uruguayan sensation as untouchable, and will not entertain any offers after his superb season at the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, every player has their price, and with Real Madrid close to confirming the £108m signing of Jude Bellingham, they may be willing to offload Valverde to recoup some funds.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
