Chelsea FC Inter Milan’s Moroccan star right-back Hakimi is valued at £70million by the Italian giants.
The Blues and Paris Saint-Germain have both had bids of around £56m rejected by the Serie A champs, who are battling debts.
And the West Londoners may now look to swing the deal their way by offering players in part exchange.
However, Hakimi’s arrival could spell trouble for England ace James who plays in the 22-year-old’s preferred position.
But fortunately for James, Hakimi can also play on the left side of defence so the two could theoretically take to the field at the same time.
Tuchel admitted he wants ‘two or three’ new players this summer to freshen things up and ‘challenge our ideas in training’.
The financial fallout from Covid and a £220m transfer spree last summer will rein in Chelsea’s spending.
But they will still go all out to land one or two marquee stars and flex their muscles as the new kings of Europe.
Chelsea Goalkeeper Transfers Rumours
Kepa Arrizabalaga looks set to be replaced this summer after two seasons at the club following his world-record transfer fee for a goalkeeper as Lampard appears to grow impatient with the Spaniard’s ability.
The shot-stopper has struggled for consistency since arriving in the capital and has not done anything to justify the transfer fee that was paid for him, therefore a new ‘keeper has emerged on the manager’s wishlist.
A number of men have been linked with a switch to Chelsea for the next transfer market, with Andre Onana, Marc-Andre ter Stergen, Jan Oblak, Dean Henderson and Nick Pope just a few of the names to have been mentioned in recent weeks. With a top-quality goalkeeper at a premium for clubs, the Blues football team could have to spend fortunes to sign a new one, otherwise, they may have to stick with Arrizabalaga and Willy Caballero as their options.
Chelsea Defense Transfers Rumours
The whole defence is an issue for Lampard and the Blues and is something that needs to be sorted out during the summer transfer window. Regardless of the options that have been used, the manager does not appear to have a partnership he can rely upon as Antonio Rudiger, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Fikayo Tomori have been unable to fill the Chelsea legend with confidence. David Alaba, José Giménez and Declan Rice have both been linked, but whether Bayern Munich, Atlético Madrid or West Ham United let them go remains to be seen.
Left-back is another area of the field that needs to be sorted urgently, as doubts remain over Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri, as both do not work as natural defenders because of their attacking mindsets. Men such as Ben Chilwell, Nicolas Tagliafico, Alex Telles and Sergio Reguilon have all been touted, with the Real Madrid misfit currently the favourite to join the Stamford Bridge set-up.
Chelsea Midfield/Attack Transfers Rumours
The midfield is already stacked with talent, however, Kai Havertz has been long-touted as Chelsea’s next big signing in the transfers market for 20/21 and his likely arrival will only help to further boost the creativity and attacking prowess that men like Ziyech and Werner will bring with them as well.
Chelsea Predicted Line-up For 20/21
So, with those transfers rumours in mind, how will Chelsea look to line up once the 2020/21 campaign gets underway? Well, EagleBet has taken the most realistic options, this is what the Blues’ faithful can expect to see on opening day:
(4-3-3)
Pope; Reguilon, Rice, Rudiger, Azpilicueta; Kante, Kovacic, Havertz; Pulisic, Ziyech, Werner.
