Chelsea set £200m summer transfer budget — report

Chelsea are massing at the borders of the transfer market, suitcases of cash at the ready as if it were the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889. Except we’re the last ones to get started, and as Thomas Tuchel has said repeatedly in recent weeks, we’ve got plenty of catching up to do.

Fortunately, we will have the means to do so, with the Telegraph reporting that Todd Boehly is “ready to hand” Tuchel £200million to spend this summer — though that number includes “some anticipated player sales” of an unknown percentage. (The report mentions Marcos Alonso, and at least one of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Christian Pulisic as players who “would be open to moves away”. Alonso’s not expected to bring in a significant amount, if any.)

As far as putting this budget to use, the report makes it sound like Jules Kounde is a given at the top of an eight-man center back shortlist — twelve months after it was also a given but didn’t actually happen. Some of the other names on the list include recently linked Josko Gvardiol and more long-term targets like Pau Torres and Jose Gimenez.

Defense is the clear priority — plus contracts for Mason Mount, Reece James, and Edouard Mendy — with the report pretty much ruling us out on Aurelien Tchoumeni (going to Real Madrid) and Declan Rice (who would take up this entire budget). There is a random mention of Raheem Sterling, whose future is apparently not assured with just one year remaining on his contract at Manchester City.