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Chelsea are yet to secure their third signing of the summer. The Blues have completed the transfers of Marcus Bettinelli and Romelu Lukaku so far. The Premier League giants have been linked with quite a few players in the past few weeks, but Thomas Tuchel is yet to add to his squad. The German is running out of time, with the transfer window set to close on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have ended their pursuit of a La Liga defender after being linked with the player all summer. But they are edging closer to a Spanish midfielder.
On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on 30 August 2021.
Chelsea end pursuit of Jules Kounde
Chelsea have ended their pursuit of Jules Kounde, according to The Hard Tackle via David Ornstein of The Athletic. The Blues are eager to bring the Frenchman to Stamford Bridge this summer and have been locked in negotiations with Sevilla to get a deal across the line. However, the Premier League giants have accepted defeat after the La Liga giants increased their asking price for the player.
Chelsea were previously confident of securing the services of Kounde. The Frenchman was initially valued at £43 million by Sevilla, and the Blues were willing to match their asking price. However, the La Liga side have recently increased their valuation by £12.8 million, forcing the Premier League giants to reconsider their plans.
The Blues, though, are not ready to pay more than Sevilla's previous asking price, so they have decided to walk away from negotiations. The failure to land Kounde could put the Blues in a spot, especially after offloading both Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori this summer. However, the emergence of Trevoh Chalobah could help Tuchel deal with the situation for now.
Blues pushing to complete transfer of Saul Niguez
Chelsea are pushing to complete a late move for Saul Niguez this summer, according to The Express via Fabrizio Romano.
The Blues are aiming to bolster their midfield this summer. Thomas Tuchel believes the Spaniard has all the attributes to be successful in the Premier League, so he is desperate to see Saul Niguez at Stamford Bridge.
Niguez is also wanted by Manchester United, but Chelsea are the favourites for his signature. The Blues have already submitted a loan deal with an option to buy for the player, and are trying to complete the deal before the end of deadline day.
Tiemoue Bakayoko joins AC Milan on loan
Tiemoue Bakayoko has joined AC Milan on a two-year loan deal, Chelsea have confirmed. The Frenchman has struggled to fit in at Stamford Bridge since joining the Blues in 2017. Bakayoko is not part of Thomas Tuchel's plans for this season, so the German manager has opted to let him gain some regular game time in Serie A.
Chelsea would have preferred to sell him permanently, but received no suitable offers. The Rossoneri have an option to buy in the deal, which would turn into an obligation if a few predefined criteria are met.
