Chelsea ready to hand Enzo Maresca shiny new €70m attacking weapon | OneFootball

With Joao Felix’s miraculous exit to Saudi Arabia now almost confirmed, Chelsea are stepping up their chase of an attacking player to come in and fill that gap in the squad.

Xavi Simons is the chosen man, and after a weekend where things slowed down, we expect today and tomorrow to be big in terms of getting the deal for the Dutchman with RB Leipzig done.

Blues close in on €70m deal

Xavi Simons in action for the Dutch national team.(Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

For once it’s Alfredo Pedulla and not Fabrizio Romano who is giving us the big update of the day. He wrote on his website that Chelsea are “ready to give Xavi Simons to Enzo Maresca.”

After talks last week, the deal looks set to be around €70m in total. That’s a pretty hefty fee – but we expect only the first €60m or so will be a fixed payment, with a lot of bonuses and add-ons likely to feature.

Wingers Simons played 33 times for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last season, scoring 11 goals. Long considered a player with huge potential, the 22 year old Dutch international now gets his chance to show what he can do in the Premier League. Leipzig lose their star player after missing out on the Champions League places after a poor seaosn.

Simons ends up as a perfect option for winger hungry Chelsea

Simons is a signing which suits this transfer team down to the ground. Not only does he come in in a position of need in the squad after the departures of Felix and Noni Madueke this summer, he also has the right age profile and doesn’t require vast wages.

He’s got a high ceiling and could present both a short and long term upgrade on our options in that part of the pitch.