Chelsea confident on Anthony Gordon, close on Aubameyang, and moving for Rafael Leão now, too?

According to The Times, Chelsea are growing in confidence over the prospect of signing Everton’s Anthony Gordon in the coming days. The Toffees have already rejected two bids of £40m and £45m, but we are supposedly planning a new add-on-laden offer that will exceed Everton’s £50m valuation.

Alongside Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United had shown interest in Gordon, but both saw their moves rebuffed.

Despite the massive fee on offer, Everton remain reluctant to lose Gordon, having already let Richarlison leave and having lost Dominic Calvert-Lewin to injury. They would probably want to sign some forwards first to reinforce their already depleted attacking line.

Also close is the deal for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang once again. After a brief cooling off period, things are heating up once again, with Relevo, Diario Sport and Sky Sports claiming that negotiations are very advanced now, after Chelsea proposed a base fee of €22m along with €5m in add-ons. Apparently, we’re no longer reluctant to overpay for Aubameyang either.

Marcos Alonso remains not part of this deal, and his proposed transfer is starting to enter shaky ground, with Barca having supposedly switched their focus to Javi Galán. While they would still like to sign Alonso, Galán is ready to accept lower wages, despite potentially costing more in transfer fees (€18m release clause).

As if that weren’t enough, alongside Gordon and Aubameyang, Chelsea are apparently considering a second attempt at AC Milan’s Rafael Leão this summer, having originally shelved that idea until next year.

The 23-year-old has been embroiled in contract renewal talks with Milan, with his current deal expiring in 2024. So we’ll see whether this story has any substance to it, or is just plain ol’ agenting. Leão’s release clause stands at €150m, although Milan are said to be willing to consider a transfer around the €90-95m mark (or are they?).