Romano says that Chelsea are confident of making Adarabioyo the first signing of the Enzo Maresca era after moving ahead of Newcastle in the race to sign the centre-back. Newcastle have been working on a move for the defender for several weeks but are set to end up empty-handed.
Chalobah Keen to Test Himself
Chelsea offer European football
Chelsea are in the market for a new central defender following the departure of veteran Thiago Silva, and Adarabioyo is keen to test himself at the highest level. Chelsea may not be playing at the highest level of European football next season, but they can at least offer Adarabioyo the Conference League as a platform.
After finishing in seventh position in the Premier League, Newcastle could be forgiven for thinking that they had done enough to secure a spot in next season’s Conference League. Manchester United’s surprise victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final, however, bumped Newcastle out of the European equation.
The Guardian say that Chelsea view Adarabioyo as a logical addition given the low costs a deal will incur, as well as the player’s proficiency in possession. Incoming manager Maresca favours a possession-based approach and Adarabioyo suits his philosophy.
Maresca will be announced as Chelsea’s new manager when the club’s lawyers have finalised the paperwork for the Italian and his backroom staff. While Maresca will welcome the addition of Adarabioyo, he could see a defender leave in Trevoh Chalobah.
Chalobah Could Join Man Utd
Academy player linked with £25m exit
Chelsea’s heavy spending since Todd Boehly’s takeover means they must take care to adhere to the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules. To do that, they must sell players, and selling an academy player can help a club to balance its books more efficiently than selling a player who was previously signed for a significant fee.
That’s because, when a Premier League club sells an academy player, the fee they receive for said player goes down in the accounts as ‘pure profit’. In simpler terms, if a player is bought for £60million and then sold for £75million, that shows in the club accounts as a £15million profit. Academy players were signed for nothing, so any fee gained from selling the player is banked in its entirety.
Chalobah is being linked with a move to Manchester United and could bring in £25million. Even with Silva leaving and Chalobah potentially following him, Chelsea have a host of central defenders, with Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana on the books.
