Raphinha is set to reject a move to both Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur in favour of a transfer to Chelsea this summer, according to reports.
Thomas Tuchel’s summer spending is set to exceed £100 million once the expected signings of Raphinha and Raheem Sterling are confirmed.
A deal to sign Sterling from Manchester City is expected to be agreed with Chelsea braced to make an opening offer for the England international this week.
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Chelsea also entered talks with Leeds over Raphinha and are on the brink of agreeing a £55 million plus add-ons fee for the 25-year-old this summer.
This will see Tuchel add two attackers to his front-line, something he warned his forwards at the end of last season.
"If we stick to the group then we will try to solve it with these players,” admitted the Chelsea head coach.
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"Is it necessary to bring more offensive players around the box to create more distractions, to create more space for each other? We will ask that question. Can we do better in the structure? Can we push the players more? Did we rotate too much? Let’s see.
“There are a lot of options. The numbers we produce from our offensive players don’t allow us to over-perform and we need over-performance if we want to be nearer to the top two teams.
"I am not pointing fingers, I am not blaming anybody, but we need over-performance from everybody. It’s not over-performance if we have only single figures in scoring and assisting.”
But Chelsea and Todd Boehly will be delighted with the swift nature of all but agreeing a deal for Raphinha.
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He has interest from Barcelona, Arsenal and Tottenham, and it’s now reported by the Daily Mail that Arsenal ‘frantically’ spent Tuesday trying to revive their interest in the Brazilian, but they failed as Chelsea took pole position.
It was also reported by Nizaar Kinsella that Raphinha also turned down Tottenham after formal discussions were held between the two parties.
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It’s another win for Chelsea over their London counterparts. They have partly got co-owner Todd Boehly to thank, who has backed Tuchel in the process, after his swift action to land Raphinha.
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Fabrizio Romano added that Chelsea have already sent an official proposal to Raphinha and his agent, Deco, to discuss personal terms.
Boehly wants to act fast to avoid any issues that could arise, with personal terms not expected to be an issue.
Ben Jacobs claims Raphinha has yet to make a decision, with Chelsea looking to act quick to seal a deal.
Arsenal don't believe they are out of the race just yet and haven't ruled out the option of making another bid after their initial one was rejected.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Raphinha, Chelsea, Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur, Leeds United, Thomas Tuchel, Todd Boehly