Chelsea land third signing; fourth deal 'advanced' after fresh approach
Chelsea open their 2022-23 Premier League campaign against Everton on Aug. 6
Chelsea have completed the signing of Gabriel Slonina after agreeing a deal with Major League Soccer (MLS) club Chicago Fire. The American goalkeeper signed a six-year contract after the two clubs reached an agreement over a deal worth £12.2 million.
Slonina's arrival is expected to just be the start of a busy week for the Blues. Thomas Tuchel is expecting further arrivals and departures prior to the start of their Premier League campaign on Saturday.
According to Italian transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Slonina arrived in London on Monday to undergo his medical and put pen to paper on his long-term deal. He is expected to return Stateside and remain with Chicago Fire at least until the end of the ongoing MLS season before joining the Blues on Jan. 1.
In terms of additions, Chelsea are doing some hijacking of their own after the west London club jumped ahead of Manchester City in the race to sign Marc Cucurella. The Brighton and Hove Albion left-back has put in a transfer request and was Pep Guardiola's top target to replace Oleksandr Zinchenko.
The Seagulls put a £50 million price tag on Cucurella, which the Premier League champions refused to meet. City's final bid was at around £40 million, which has now been usurped by Chelsea with a bid of their own.
Talks between Brighton and Chelsea are well advanced at the moment, according to Romano. The Blues are ready to meet Brighton's hefty valuation as Thomas Tuchel is desperate to strengthen his back line before the start of the Premier League season.
Work in progress for Marc Cucurella deal. Chelsea are on it on both club and player side, waiting to complete full agreement with Brighton. Deal well advanced. 🚨🔵 #CFC
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 1, 2022
No issues on player side. Man City confirm they have no intention to improve their £40m bid. pic.twitter.com/7Bhe225lg6
Brighton are interested in signing Chelsea youngster Levi Colwill, and the Stamford Bridge outfit is expected to use the England U21 international to drive down the asking price. Cucurella is said to be open to moving to west London despite handing in a transfer request to force through a move to Manchester.
Apart from the incomings, Chelsea are also expected to oversee two departures in the coming days with Malang Sarr and Kepa Arrizabalaga on their way out of the club. The former is wanted by clubs in France, while the latter is being courted by Serie A outfit Napoli.
