Chelseaupdate

  20-goal a season striker should follow sterling to Chelsea – Tuchel told – as £300,000-a-week deal agreed Even if Chelsea completes the transfer of Raheem Sterling, according to former Chelsea player Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, they still require a goal-scoring striker. According to reports, the Blues will soon announce the purchase of the Manchester City player as their first significant acquisition under Todd Boehly’s ownership. The England international is not the only offensive target on the team’s radar; a striker is apparently needed now that the Romelu Lukaku controversy has, for the time being, come to an end. Chelsea needs a deal that goes beyond Sterling. Despite Sterling being a member of the Premier League’s “100 club,” Hasselbaink thinks that his signing would not be sufficient to address the Blues’ attacking problems. He said:...

  CHELSEA are preparing to begin talks with defender Reece James over a new contract. James' current deal at Stamford Bridge runs until 2025. But the Blues are keen to pin him down for the long-term future given he is now one of the best full-backs in the world. #CFC

Chelsea owner  Todd Boehly flew to  Barcelona  on Thursday to discuss a number of potential trades. Barcelona want Chelsea full-backs Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso and are prepared to offer players as part of negotiations rather than pay more than a nominal fee. Dutch-born USA international full-back Sergino Dest and Holland international  Memphis Depay  are thought to be among the names offered. Barcelona director Mateu Alemany, consultant Jordi Cruyff and president Joan Laporta were all at the meeting with Boehly and Behdad Eghbali.

  Raphinha's move to either  Barcelona  or  Chelsea  remains open as he is unlikely to join  Leeds  on tour in Australia. The Brazilian has attracted a lot of attention following his fruitful two-year spell at Elland Road, scoring a crucial goal in Leeds' 2-1 victory against  Brentford  on the final day of last season to secure Premier League survival. Barcelona and Chelsea have each hotly pursued the 25-year-old, with the latter having seen a £60million bid accepted from the Yorkshire club. However, Raphinha has made clear his preference to sign for the Spanish giants and will reportedly hold out for a move to the Nou Camp, having already rebuffed interest from Spurs and Arsenal. Barcelona have been crippled by financial complications in the transfer window so far, slowing down their pursuit of Raphinha, as well as priority transfer target Robert Lewandowski. The Catalan club are also keen to lure Bernardo Silva away from Manchester City, ac...