Bournemouth identify replacement for star who's held talks to join Chelsea

Chelsea have held talks with the representatives of a highly-rated star recently, with his club nown also identifying a potential replacement for him.

Chelsea summer transfer plans explained

The three key items on BlueCo’s agenda this summer are the signings of a centre-back, winger and striker (Simon Phillips).

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The Englishman could go the other way.

Wesley Fofana consistently finds himself on the treatment table with long-term injuries, which has been the case ever since his £75 million move from Leicester City, while it appears likely Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi will be sold by Chelsea this summer.

There are even reports in France that Chelsea are seriously considering Fofana’s sale as well, leaving little wonder a centre-back is high on the agenda at Stamford Bridge.

Meanwhile, uncertainty surrounding Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke and Jadon Sancho means Chelsea have reportedly opened talks for Borussia Dortmund starlet Jamie Gittens already, as they seek to get deals done early before their Club World Cup campaign.

A host of strikers are being linked with moves to Cobham as well, including Benjamin Sesko, Liam Delap, Jonathan David, Hugo Ekitiké and Victor Osimhen (Sky Sports), so it appears Enzo Maresca’s side are set for yet another busy window.

Going back to the defensive area of their squad, links to Bournemouth starlet Dean Huijsen are refusing to go away.

The 20-year-old’s £50 million release clause has piqued interest from a host of elite sides, including Chelsea, and the reliable Simon Phillips recently reported that they’ve held “very positive” talks with Huijsen’s representatives in the last fortnight.

Chelsea apparently hold a serious belief that they could be frontrunners for the Spain international’s signature, but it is a complex saga to say the least.

“So what has happened so far is that Barat [his agent] is pushing Huijsen to join Chelsea, but Don [his father] is pushing him to join Liverpool,” wrote Phillips last week (Substack).

“The belief is that ideally, Huijsen would want to go to Real Madrid but he is being advised to stay in the Premier League for now and also, Real have yet to make a solid move other than register some interest. I have not heard that Champions League football is a deciding factor, but it could be ‘a’ factor.”

Bournemouth identify Albian Hajdari as replacement for Dean Huijsen

Following reports of Chelsea’s talks with Huijsen, journalist Rudy Galetti has shared another update on his future in a piece for TEAMtalk.

It is now believed that the Cherries are very much planning for his exit from the Vitality this summer, with Bournemouth identifying Lugano defender Albian Hajdari as a replacement for Huijsen.

This is described as a boost for Liverpool in their pursuit of Huijsen, as Bournemouth grow more aware he is heading out of the door this summer, but it also comes as a piece of encouragement for Chelsea – especially after their discussions with the player’s camp.

Huijsen has been a mainstay under Andoni Iraola this season, passing his first season in the Premier League with flying colours, and the sky appears to be the limit for a centre-back who could still be miles away from reaching his ceiling, given his young age.