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Chelsea have picked up some pace in the last couple of days as they got rid of former boss Antonio Conte and have followed it up by revealing their next manager along with a signing on Saturday morning.
The Chelsea players and fans were dismayed by the sacking of Conte and thanked him for his commitment and service to the club but similarly are looking forward to the future under the guidance of a new man in charge as they will look to carry on the winning tradition and achieve silverware next season.
On that note, here are the top transfer stories of the day pertaining to Chelsea:
Blues unveil Maurizio Sarri and Jorginho
New signings Maurizio Sarri and Jorginho have officially arrived at Chelsea from Napoli in a deal reported to be worth £57 million, according to The Guardian. After weeks of stress and disagreements, the duo were revealed on Saturday and were welcomed by both the club and the fans alike.
Sarri has signed a three contract with the Blues, replacing countryman Antonio Conte at the helm. This was later succeeded by the arrival of Jorginho, who becomes the first signing of the summer for Chelsea.
The Italian midfielder has been captured for a fee of €60 million and has signed a five contract at Stamford Bridge. He has been assigned the number 5 shirt and expressed his delight on sealing his switch to West London as he looks onward to the challenges that await him in England.
Jorginho said, ‘I am absolutely ecstatic to be here at Chelsea. It is not easy to become part of such a big team so I am very, very happy. I am excited to play in such an intense league, for a team that gives everything to play and win.’
Sarri's arrival could boost the transfer activity as the 59 year old is keen on reuniting with his former players and has eyed several top class players in his quest of rebuilding Chelsea and taking them back to the top of English football.
Meanwhile, Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola is expected to join the backroom staff and serve as the assistant to Maurizio Sarri with the Italian's last managerial stint being at Birmingham City in 2017.
Hazard poised for Real Madrid move
The Daily Mail reports that Chelsea might be at the risk of losing their prized asset Eden Hazard as Real Madrid are inclined to make a £150 million offer for the Belgian.
The 2018 Champions League winners sold superstar Cristiano Ronaldo to Juventus in a whopping £105 million deal earlier this week and have lined up Hazard as his replacement. The 27 year old has just two years remaining on his contract in West London and could be keen on making the switch to Madrid.
His remarkable performances at club level have been carried over to the World Cup where he has thrived in his captaincy role as Belgium finished third in Russia, Real are touted as the favourites to land the Chelsea man.
It would require the Blues a great deal of effort to convince Hazard on signing a new contract. However, a £300,000 weekly contract offer in the past was unable to drive the Belgian on committing his future to the club.
Earlier in the summer, Hazard had remarked on his future at Stamford Bridge and commented that he could possibly leave Chelsea if Antonio Conte was to remain in charge for the upcoming season and also demanded to know about the transfer activity of the club with respect to new signings.
It looks like Eden Hazard has set his heart on a move to Real Madrid and could possibly table a transfer request if the Board was to reject the offer. Similarly, Chelsea can also try using this situation to their advantage and ask for extra money from Los Blancos or initiate a swap deal that would see them receive a Galactico.
N'Golo Kante attracts increasing Barcelona interest
Barcelona have drawn up a stunning swap deal to lure Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante in exchange for Andre Gomes, the Daily Star claims. The Spanish Champions have targeted the Frenchman as a direct and ideal replacement for the recently departed Andres Iniesta.
Kante is on the radar of Paris Saint-Germain also and the French club are ready to offer a substantial three-figure sum to Chelsea to acquire the services of the 27 year old and are willing to double his wages to tempt him with regards a return to Ligue 1.
The former Leicester midfielder has been a huge catalyst in Chelsea's success over the last two seasons and the same has been transferred over to the national team as Kante has proven to be the driving force in France's route to the World Cup final in Russia.
It will be difficult for the Blues to tie N'Golo Kante down to a new contract with the speculation surrounding him as it will surely have had an impact on his mindset, similarly it will be hard for the Board and the manager to convince him on staying in England for the upcoming season.
On the other hand, Chelsea may not be getting the fair share of the deal if they were to accept this offer since Andre Gomes' form and performances have declined critically over the last two years and he will not be the right fit to replace Kante at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea line up Higuian and Morata swap
Chelsea are planning a dramatic swap deal to acquire Gonzalo Higuain from Juventus and offer Alvaro Morata in exchange, according to the Mirror. The Argentinian is one of the top targets of new boss Maurizio Sarri as the Italian is keen on reuniting with the former Napoli striker.
The Blues are ready to part ways with Morata, who had a torrid debut season in England and managed to score just 15 goals in all competitions. The Spaniard has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge all summer long and has attracted interest from Germany, Italy and Spain.
Following the sensational signing of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid, the Blues could continue their business with Juventus as The Old Lady are looking to free up space on their transfer budget and could offload three players.
The Blues are on the verge of completing a £35 million deal for Daniele Rugani and could follow it up with offers for Alex Sandro and Claudio Marchisio, who are on the shortlist of the newly appointed Chelsea manager.
Higuain had a mediocre 2017-18 campaign by his standards as he accumulated just 16 goals in Serie A, but had a prolific final season in Napoli under Sarri, in which he scored a record-breaking 36 goals in the league.
Last week, there were reports that an agreement had been struck for the transfer of Gonzalo Higuain, but the Blues have now become much more desperate to get rid of Alvaro Morata, and are looking to recoup the bulk of the £58 million they paid by selling the striker to his old stomping ground in Italy.
