Chelsea handed huge lift in £60m striker chase after surprise Ligue 1 decision Chelsea have seemingly been handed a huge boost in their bid to complete a deal for Moussa Dembele after Ligue 1’s latest decision. The French league decided earlier this week that they would end their season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. In the process, they have become the first of the so-called ‘Big 5’ leagues to declare their campaigns over, while others are still considering playing out the rest of their seasons. However, the latest news from the French FA is that the positions will be kept as they are, so PSG have been named champions, while Marseille and Rennes have qualified for the Champions League and Lille have taken the Europa League spot. Amiens and Toulouse were relegated but Lyon failed to qualify for Europe for the first time since 1993, and look certain to lose some of their top stars as a result. One of their best is undoubtedly Dembele, who in 27 games this season netted 16 goals and added another two assists. The 23-year-old is known to be high on Blues boss Frank Lampard’s list of strike targets this summer, especially with Chelsea still in the market for a new No.9 to provide competition to Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud, who looks poised to sign a new one-year contract extension. However, Michy Batshuayi has failed to impress during his time at Stamford Bridge and is expected to move on when the transfer window opens, with West Ham and Crystal Palace both in the market for the Belgian. At this stage it is unclear whether Dembele, who has also been linked with Manchester United, will be available in a cut-price deal after Lyon originally put a £60m price tag on his head. Meanwhile, Dietmar Hamann has hailed Kai Havertz as an “exceptional” player who reminds him of a “young Michael Ballack”, amid interest from a trio of Premier League clubs. The 20-year-old looks set to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer, with a number of Europe’s top clubs circling for a player who could cost as much as £100million. Standard Sport reports that Manchester United are tracking Havertz to pair him with Bruno Fernandes, while both Chelsea and Liverpool have been linked with the attacking midfielder. Frank Lampard’s Blues are said to be considering Havertz as a Plan B to Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho, while Jurgen Klopp has been tracking the young midfielder throughout his career and is a big fan. Havertz, who has won seven caps for Germany scoring one goal, has also been courted by German giants Bayern Munich after scoring 17 goals in the Bundesliga in 2018/19. And former Liverpool midfielder Hamann reckons the hype is justified, labelling him the Bundesliga’s best player and comparing his style to that of German legend Michael Ballack. Read more… The post Chelsea handed huge lift in £60m striker chase after surprise Ligue 1 decision appeared first on teamtalk.com.

Chelsea have seemingly been handed a huge boost in their bid to complete a deal for Moussa Dembele after Ligue 1’s latest decision.

The French league decided earlier this week that they would end their season due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

In the process, they have become the first of the so-called ‘Big 5’ leagues to declare their campaigns over, while others are still considering playing out the rest of their seasons.

However, the latest news from the French FA is that the positions will be kept as they are, so PSG have been named champions, while Marseille and Rennes have qualified for the Champions League and Lille have taken the Europa League spot.

Amiens and Toulouse were relegated but Lyon failed to qualify for Europe for the first time since 1993, and look certain to lose some of their top stars as a result.

One of their best is undoubtedly Dembele, who in 27 games this season netted 16 goals and added another two assists.

The 23-year-old is known to be high on Blues boss Frank Lampard’s list of strike targets this summer, especially with Chelsea still in the market for a new No.9 to provide competition to Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud, who looks poised to sign a new one-year contract extension.

However, Michy Batshuayi has failed to impress during his time at Stamford Bridge and is expected to move on when the transfer window opens, with West Ham and Crystal Palace both in the market for the Belgian.

At this stage it is unclear whether Dembele, who has also been linked with Manchester United, will be available in a cut-price deal after Lyon originally put a £60m price tag on his head.

Meanwhile, Dietmar Hamann has hailed Kai Havertz as an “exceptional” player who reminds him of a “young Michael Ballack”, amid interest from a trio of Premier League clubs.

The 20-year-old looks set to leave Bayer Leverkusen this summer, with a number of Europe’s top clubs circling for a player who could cost as much as £100million.

 

 

Standard Sport reports that Manchester United are tracking Havertz to pair him with Bruno Fernandes, while both Chelsea and Liverpool have been linked with the attacking midfielder.

Frank Lampard’s Blues are said to be considering Havertz as a Plan B to Barcelona’s Philippe Coutinho, while Jurgen Klopp has been tracking the young midfielder throughout his career and is a big fan.

Havertz, who has won seven caps for Germany scoring one goal, has also been courted by German giants Bayern Munich after scoring 17 goals in the Bundesliga in 2018/19.

And former Liverpool midfielder Hamann reckons the hype is justified, labelling him the Bundesliga’s best player and comparing his style to that of German legend Michael Ballack. Read more…

 

The post Chelsea handed huge lift in £60m striker chase after surprise Ligue 1 decision appeared first on teamtalk.com.

Robert McCarthy