Chelsea are reportedly ‘very interested’ in signing Manchester City forward Gabriel Jesus this summer.
The Brazilian appears to be on his way out of the Etihad after Pep Guardiola’s side announced the signing of Erling Haaland.
According to Spanish news outlet AS, Chelsea have joined both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal in the race for the Man City attacker.
The report states that Chelsea’s interest has been delayed due to their takeover, which was completed as the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital consortium became new owners of the club.
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Jesus has ‘already been informed’ that there will be a formal proposal put forward by the new Chelsea owners as they look to add to Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
However, the time is ‘running against’ the Blues, with this disadvantage potentially being exploited by their London rivals.
Arsenal have a long-standing interest in Jesus, while Tottenham have recently joined the race and could hold an advantage over their north London rivals due to the fact that they can offer Champions League football.
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Furthermore, Jesus was offered to Real Madrid but the transfer to La Liga would be ‘very complicated’ due to registration rules in Spain.
If Los Blancos were to sign Jesus, they would exceed their quota of three non-EU nationals as they already boast three non-Eu players in Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo and Eder Militao.
Jesus’ contract expires in 2023 and could therefore be available for a cut-price in the summer as the Blues eye up a move.
The Brazilian’s teammate at Manchester City, Raheem Sterling, has also been linked with a move to Chelsea this summer - with his contract also expiring next summer.
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Chelsea’s new owners are expected to be ready to hand Tuchel £200m, of which a percentage could be used to bring either Man City player to the club as the German looks to rebuild his side.
Speaking previously, the head coach admitted that the Blues will be behind rivals Man City and Liverpool as they rebuild a squad to challenge at the top of the Premier League.
"Players are going out. We are rebuilding,” he said. "This is always challenging but we are up for the challenge. I don’t know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here if I can promise that! I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what.
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"City and Liverpool are already improving the squad and set one benchmark after the other in all aspects of the game."
Topics: Chelsea, Chelsea Transfer News & Rumours, Manchester City, Gabriel Jesus, Football
Nick Emms