Chelsea are set to announce the arrival of Jorrel Hato from Ajax, but there is still a lot of work to do before they can confirm the signing of Xavi Simons.
The Blues are keen on bringing Simons to Stamford Bridge as they look to add another attacker to their squad.
It has been claimed that Enzo Maresca has spoken to Simons about a move to Chelsea this summer.
However, RB Leipzig’s valuation of the player appears to be a bit of a sticking point, with the two clubs yet to agree on a transfer fee.
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Chelsea confident RB Leipzig will lower Xavi Simons’ price tag
It is thought that Leipzig want £60m for Simons, who will link up with his countryman Hato at Chelsea if this move happens.
Hato really pushed for a transfer to the Blues, and his Netherlands teammate is now doing the same thing.
Simons missed training on Friday and Leipzig’s friendly against Atalanta as he tries to secure his own move to west London.
Journalist Simon Phillips has now claimed on Si Phillips Talks Chelsea that the Club World Cup winners believe that Simons’ actions will see Leipzig drop their asking price, just as Ajax did with Hato.
Chelsea are paying £37m for Hato, but it was reported that Ajax wanted more than that before the defender expressed his desire to leave the club.
What Xavi Simons has done on social media
Simons’ absence from training and Leipzig’s last matchday squad are not the only indications that he wants to leave the Red Bull Arena before the transfer window closes.
Simons recently removed RB Leipzig from his bio on Instagram. It is not exactly a transfer request, but that and the above indicate that the attacking midfielder is not planning on sticking around.
Chelsea now just need to agree a fee with their German counterparts, and it could happen on their terms by the looks of it.
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