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Chelsea remain eager to strengthen their squad before the end of the transfer window. Thomas Tuchel has added Romelu Lukaku and Marcus Bettinelli to his squad so far and is eyeing more reinforcements.
The Blues have won the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup under the German so far and now have their sights set firmly on the Premier League.
Chelsea are also planning to offload a few players before the summer comes to an end. On that note, let's take a look at the major Chelsea transfer news from 17 August 2021.
Thomas Tuchel planning to offload £90m trio
Thomas Tuchel is planning to offload Danny Drinkwater, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Ross Barkley this summer, according to The Express via The Athletic. The Chelsea boss has already informed the trio of his decision.
None of them feature in Tuchel’s plans for the upcoming season and have not been handed squad numbers as yet.
Bakayoko arrived from AS Monaco in a £40m deal in 2017, while Drinkwater cost £35m. Chelsea signed Barkley a year later for £15m, but none of them have found their feet at Stamford Bridge. The Blues are now determined to take the trio off their wage bill.
Chelsea are eager to add more players to their squad this month, but having spent a fortune on Romelu Lukaku, the club must sell before they can buy again.
Chelsea remain interested in French star
Chelsea are still keen on a move for Jules Kounde, according to The Express via Kaveh Solhekol. The Blues have already splashed £97.5m this summer to secure the services of Lukaku but might have to break the bank again to sign the French defender.
The 22-year-old has developed into one of the finest talents in Europe after joining Sevilla two years ago.
Manchester United were also interested in Kounde, but the Red Devils opted to prioritize a move for Raphael Varane instead. That has made Chelsea the favorites to sign Kounde, who has a £68m release clause in his current contract.
However, Thomas Tuchel does not have an urgent need for a defender at the moment, so the Blues could wait until next year to make a move for the Sevilla man.
Tammy Abraham completes move to AS Roma
Tammy Abraham has joined AS Roma, the Serie A side have confirmed. The Englishman has put pen to paper on a five-year contract that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2026.
Roma have reportedly paid Chelsea €40m for Abraham, and the Blues have also included an €80m buy-back clause which will be effective from June 2023.
The Englishman departs after 17 years at Stamford Bridge, having joined the Blues in 2004. Abraham managed 18 goals from 47 appearances for the London side in the 2019-20 campaign but dropped down the pecking order under Tuchel last season.
