Chelsea's transfer activity so far this summer has been dominated by players that have either left of are set to leave, but there is plenty of time remaining for new head coach Mauricio Pochettino to bring in one or two players of his own.

The Blues may be well stocked in attack, though the likely departures of Mason Mount and Kai Havertz will still leave a gap to be filled in terms of a creative player.

Plenty of names have been linked with a switch to Stamford Bridge, including the likes of Jonathan David and Wilfried Zaha, but another candidate has emerged that may just be an ideal fit in West London.

It could be argued that Chelsea have never truly replaced Eden Hazard since he joined Real Madrid in 2019, but versatile Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus could be just that man.

According to Chelsea football writer Simon Phillips, via his Substack page, the Blues have a serious interest in signing Kudus and have made him their priority option in terms of a number 10.

What can Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus bring to Chelsea?

Kudus can indeed play as a number 10, but as pointed out by Phillips, the left-footed speedster can play out on the right – where he is given licence to cut inside – and through the middle, whether as a centre-forward or playing just off one.

Indeed, that is much the same as Hazard, who showed across seven years at Chelsea that he was comfortable playing in an array of positions, namely out on the left and also through the middle.

It is not just positionally the pair are alike, though. Indeed, the comparisons grow stronger when looking at their dribbling stats. Taking the figures from Hazard's final Premier League season at Chelsea in 2018-19, he was successful with 67.32% of his take-ons, as per Squawka.

That is a staggeringly similar number to Kudus with Ajax in Eredivisie last season at 67.91%, with the 22-year-old unsuccessful from 2.1 take-on attempts per game, compared to 2.2 for Hazard.

They also have similar passing accuracies across those respective seasons (84.33% for Hazard, 87.6% for Kudus) and got away similar numbers of shots on target (1.4 v 1.5).

The comparisons do not stop there, either, as Hazard scored 0.5 goals per game from outside the box – the exact same figure as Kudus, though the latter preferred to use his left foot and the Belgian his right.

As highlighted by Independent writer Karl Matchett, Kudus is a "sensational" and "magical" player who, beyond being one of the best dribblers around, is also tactically aware, has an eye for goal and is aggressive in winning the ball back.

It is that last part that sets Kudus apart from Hazard. The Ghana international averaged 5.5 ball recoveries per game last season, whereas Hazard's figure was down at 3.2 in the 2018-19 season.

Many attackers have arrived at Stamford Bridge over the past four years with the promise of becoming the next Hazard, but in Kudus – expected to be available for around £40m – they may have finally found just that.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is now ready to give Spurs outcast Tanguy Ndombele a lifeline, according to reports out of France.

Who is leaving Spurs?

The arrivals of goakeeper Guglielmo Vicario (£17.2m), playmaker James Maddison (£40m) and winger Manor Solomon on a free transfer have opened the door for certain players to leave Spurs.

Long-serving number one shot-stopper Hugo Lloris, after 11 years with the club, has openly admitted he could depart this summer and Vicario’s signing from Empoli will only push him further towards the exit door.

Speaking to Nice-Matin, the 36-year-old hinted that it is time for a fresh challenge and says that this could be the end an era for him at Tottenham.

“We have reached an important moment, whether it be for the club or me,” said Lloris

“It’s the end of an era. I have a desire for something else. I will carefully study what is possible. However, I haven’t forgotten that I have a year left on my contract at Tottenham, and in football, it’s always hard to predict what will happen.”

Meanwhile, with Tottenham chasing a few more signings, namely at centre-back, there are many other names who have been linked with departures to free up space in Postecoglou’s squad.

Ivan Perisic, Davinson Sanchez, Ryan Sessegnon, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Ndombele are the players in question (The Telegraph), while Bayern Munich are also chasing a deal for star striker Harry Kane.

Ndombele in particular is a curious case. Once Tottenham’s club record signing, the Frenchman has previously been outcasted by former Spurs bosses Nuno Espirito Santo and Antonio Conte.

The midfielder spent last season on loan at Napoli, and while the Serie A title-winners didn’t take up an option to sign him permanently, they were willing to pay around £17 million for him.

That is according to French newspaper L’Equipe, via Sport Witness, who say Rudi Garcia’s side wanted to fork out that amount for Ndombele, but it won’t be accepted by Spurs.

Postecoglou is a long-time admirer of the former Lyon star, and the Australian intends to hand him a lifeline to resurrect his career at Tottenham.

This is dependent on his performances in pre-season though, and if Ndombele doesn’t do enough to impress Tottenham’s new manager, there is interest from Saudi Arabia and potential opportunities abroad.

To be fair, the player has plenty of talent. Indeed, some old footage of the player in training has recently resurfaced on social media – via SpursReports – which shows just how much potential he has to be a special player if Postecoglou can get the best out of him.

What’s been said about Tanguy Ndombele?

The 26-year-old has been praised in parts for some flashes of form at Spurs, though they are few and far between, with former manager Jose Mourinho once calling him “magnificent” for a brief turnaround in 2020/2021.

“It’s a great example that with me the door is always open,” said Mourinho.

“The goal is amazing, but I don’t care about the goal, I care about the performance and the performance was magnificent and I’m really pleased that he’s come to this level. He’s playing very, very well.”

Liverpool have been strongly linked with a move for Romeo Lavia this summer and now a new update has emerged on the club's pursuit of the player.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Romeo Lavia?

According to Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg, Liverpool are one of the Premier League clubs in "concrete talks" to sign the Southampton midfielder this summer.

Plettenberg took to Twitter to reveal:

"Roméo #Lavia, there are still concrete talks with Chelsea, Arsenal, especially with Liverpool as Klopp is a big fan! #LFC.

"Been told that his price tag is around £50m this summer! Confirmed: Barcelona was targeting the 19 y/o but his price is not affordable for Barca this summer."

What type of midfielder is Romeo Lavia?

Jurgen Klopp and his new sporting director Jorg Schmadtke have wasted no time in kicking off the much-needed midfield rebuild this summer, with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai joining the Merseyside giants ahead of next season.

Whilst the pair will significantly bolster the attacking presence in midfield, there is certainly room for improvement in the more defensive operations in the centre of the pitch with Fabinho struggling to maintain his high standards over the last campaign.

The Brazilian mainstay was subjected to a lot of criticism for his lacklustre performances in the deeper role of the midfield three last season, with talkSPORT pundit Scott Minto slamming the former Monaco man:

"You talk about (Jordan) Henderson, yes, but you talk about Fabinho at the moment. Who is he at the moment? I don’t know who he is, it’s like his twin brother playing at the moment. He’s certainly not the player that he has been in recent years."

Now with a move for Lavia looking a huge possibility, it could spell the end for Fabinho's reign at Anfield and if the Southampton star can make a quick impact in midfield he could become Klopp's most trusted and relied upon presence in the defensive role.

When comparing the positional peers' output during last season, despite only being 19 years old and far less experienced, the Saints star outperformed Fabinho in his successful take-ons rate (56% v 46.7%) and percentage of dribblers tackled (39.6% v 38.7%), as per FBref.

Not only that, the Manchester City academy graduate – hailed "sensational" by journalist Lewis Steele – has completed more tackles per 90 (2.43) compared to Fabinho (2.13) over the last 12 months and has been more successful in interceptions per 90 (1.34 v 1.25) and blocks per 90 (1.90 v 1.25) too.

The only stumbling block Liverpool have to overcome in their interest of Lavia is his inflated price tag with his recently relegated club refusing to budge on the whopping £50m they have put on their young prospect's head this summer, and after already spending over £95m it would come as no surprise to the Anfield faithful if their tight-spending owners refused to sanction the move at the quoted fee.

With that being said, the signing of Lavia would be a major coup for Klopp in his pursuit to build the next generation of talent that can compete for multiple trophies like those before them, and it could ultimately be over for Fabinho if he can't compete with Lavia's output in the Liverpool team next season.

Liverpool are having "concrete" talks to sign Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, according to a key update from reliable journalist Florian Plettenberg.

How much does Romeo Lavia earn?

The 19-year-old is arguably one of the most talked-about young player in the country at the moment, having caught the eye with his performances for Saints last season, despite their relegation from the Premier League to the Championship, finishing bottom of the table in the process.

Lavia, who currently earns £38,000 per week at St Mary's Stadium, was a commanding presence in front of the defence, starting 26 league games and averaging 2.1 tackles per match, outperforming almost everyone around him, despite his tender years.

It seems clear that the Belgian will not be a Southampton player once the 2023/24 season gets underway, however, with a move to one of the biggest clubs in the Premier League clubs seemingly on the cards. Liverpool have emerged as one of the front-runners to snap up the teenager, but they are far from alone in expressing an interest, with rivals such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Newcastle all thought to be in the mix.

The Reds are perhaps still in need of signing one more midfielder this summer, despite Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai already arriving at Anfield, and it does look as though Lavia is now their primary target to add to the squad.

What's the latest on Romeo Lavia to Liverpool?

Reports over the weekend suggested talks had started between the Reds and Southampton, and now taking to Twitter, Sky Germany's Plettenberg has revealed the manager's personal desire to sign the player, confirming there are "ongoing" negotiations:

"Talks between Liverpool & Lavia are concrete and ongoing. Understand there is no agreement in terms of salary conditions yet.

"As reported: His price tag is around £50m. Klopp wants him! Very press resistant player – even in high pressure situations, he loses the ball only once out of 10 times."

This is a hugely encouraging update regarding Liverpool's pursuit of Lavia, with the player himself seemingly keen on the idea of moving to Merseyside, despite them missing out on Champions League qualification last season. The lure of working with Jurgen Klopp is certainly a massive positive for the Reds, given the German's reputation as one of the outstanding managers of his generation, and he seems keen on signing the Saints ace.

The one-time capped Belgium international is someone who could be viewed as Fabinho's long-term successor in the No.6 role, with the Brazilian turning 30 later this year and arguably being past his very best, so he could arrive at Anfield as a squad player, before eventually becoming one of the first names on the team sheet.

Pep Guardiola has called Lavia "incredible" in the recent past, with the midfielder leaving Manchester City last summer in order to enjoy regular football elsewhere, and he could give Liverpool's long-term midfield a perfect balance, sitting behind the likes of Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, and combining a potent mix of tackling excellent and quality on the ball in defensive midfield to perfection, especially as he matures as a player.

واصل كيليان مبابي، نجم فريق باريس سان جيرمان، إثارة الغموض بعد مباراة اليوم ضد مارسيليا، في بطولة الدوري الفرنسي.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة السابعة والعشرين من الدوري الفرنسي، حيث فاز باريس سان جيرمان بهدفين دون رد.

وخاض مبابي تلك المباراة كأساسي قبل أن يقرر المدرب لويس إنريكي استبداله في الدقيقة 63، حيث لم يكن راضيًا عن ذلك (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).

وبعد المباراة، نشر كيليان مبابي صورة له عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع “إنستجرام”، وهو ما أثار التساؤلات لدى جماهير باريس سان جيرمان.

وجاء مبابي في الصورة وهو يحمل شارة القيادة في يده بعدما أزالها من ذراعه، قبل خروجه من أرض الملعب، في مشهد قد يثير الحيرة لكونه اختص بنشره تحديدًا دون غيره عبر حسابه.

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وسينتهي العقد الحالي لـ مبابي مع باريس سان جيرمان في صيف 2024، أي نهاية الموسم الحالي، وأكدت تقارير مختلفة أنه أبلغ إدارة النادي أنه سيغادر بمجرد انتهاء صفقته.

Crystal Palace could be lining up a transfer move for Charles De Ketelaere, with Pianeta Milan, via Sport Witness reporting that the Eagles have already made contact with the player's agents.

How many goals has Charles De Ketelaere scored for AC Milan?

The 22-year-old made the switch to AC Milan at the beginning of the 2022/23 season, but that move hasn't quite worked out for the striker so far. He's played 32 times in Serie A for the club but failed to hit the back of the net in any league game over the course of the campaign, managing just the one assist.

However, it's worth noting that only nine of those appearances were actual starts for the Belgian and he featured in just 12.9 lots of 90 minutes for the club.

He also played for the Italian side on six occasions in the Champions League, meaning that the attacker already has high level European football experience under his belt. He's yet to find the form though that warranted his move to Milan in the first place, having failed to hit the back of the net as frequently as he did with Club Brugge.

With the Belgian outfit, he bagged 14 goals and six assists in just 31 starts – leading to a rate of 0.66 goals or assists per 90. It means that he managed 20 goal contributions over the course of the season at just 21 years of age.

Are Crystal Palace signing Charles De Ketelaere?

Now, according to a report from Pianeta Milan, via Sport Witness, Crystal Palace are seemingly ready to take a gamble on him. That's because the Eagles have already made contact with the player's party to ask about him and to get information ahead of a potential move for the forward.

He could cost a hefty fee – Milan want 30 million Euros (£25.7m), but even that represents a loss on what they paid out for the attacker – but it appears he could certainly be up for sale during this transfer window.

That means Palace could have a shot at landing the Belgian. The Premier League side won't find it completely easy to snap up De Ketelaere though, with West Ham and Everton both also making enquiries for the player. As of now, no official bid has been lodged by any English side, and it appears that the only form of communication between interested parties and the 22-year-old has been to speak to his camp rather than to make official offers for his signature.

Even though he hasn't performed as well as he would have liked since his switch to AC Milan, De Ketelaere is still viewed highly by those who have watched him play.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has called the striker "so so promising" in the past, showing the potential that he has in the game. Whilst he hasn't lived up to expectations in Italy, regular football with Crystal Palace might help the attacker to tap into that and become the player that he was expected to be when he left Belgium.

The Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) will be split into three rounds next summer, and for the first time prize money of $258,000 will be up for grabs in the one-day tournament.Cricket Australia has announced the WNCL schedule for 2017-18, with one round in October (prior to the Women’s Ashes), a second round in November (ahead of the WBBL), and the last round and final to be played in February.New South Wales will be aiming to defend their title after last year’s triumph, which was their 18th title. From 2005-06 onwards, New South Wales won 10 consecutive titles before South Australia broke the dominance in 2015-16.”This will be the 22nd season of the Women’s National Cricket League, and the tournament has a strong history of producing world-class talent as well as attracting high-profile international players,” Pat Howard, CA’s executive general manager – team performance, said. “It continues to provide a platform for Australia’s finest young cricketers to further develop their skills and strive for national selection.”We know we have a strong structure to our domestic competitions which identifies and elevates players who are performing, so that we can continue to strive for success on the international stage and ensure our players are provided with the very best opportunities to perform to their ability here at home and away.”Cricket has led the way in showing that women too can make a living from the game, with the proposed remuneration providing the country’s best domestic players the opportunity to earn a full-time wage for the first time.”

Mohammed Shami, who last played ODIs in the 2015 World Cup, was among the 15 men chosen to represent India in England

ESPNcricinfo staff08-May-20174:26

Chopra: There was room for a wristspinner to be picked

Mohammed Shami and Rohit Sharma have made their way to India’s Champions Trophy squad after injury-forced breaks from ODI cricket. In the absence of the injured KL Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan was chosen as Rohit’s opening partner, with Ajinkya Rahane expected to fill in in case of loss of form or fitness.The big debate for the selectors was between a third specialist spinner and an extra batsman, with Shami making it four specialist quicks to go with Hardik Pandya as the seaming allrounder. They eventually went for the extra batsman, which meant left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav missed out narrowly.Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin were the two specialist spinners even though Ashwin has not provided his match fitness – he missed the IPL because of a sports hernia and other wear and tear from a long home season. Chairman of selectors MSK Prasad said Ashwin’s case was different to some others, who had to prove match fitness after dropping out of the national team with injuries.India squad for Champions Trophy•ESPNcricinfo LtdPlayers on standby

Suresh Raina

Rishabh Pant

Dinesh Karthik

Kuldeep Yadav

Shardul Thakur

“As far as Ashwin is concerned, it was not exactly a serious injury,” Prasad said. “In fact, his franchise was magnanimous enough in accepting our request to rest him. Rest is all that was required for Ashwin. In the last international match, he represented India [in the Dharamsala Test]. That shows he was not totally unfit. He was not like the others who underwent surgery and were going through rehabilitation.”Fitness has not been the only concern around Ashwin, though. He conceded 188 runs in 27 overs in the three-ODI series against England, his last limited-overs assignment. In the previous ODI series that he played, in Australia in early 2016, Ashwin was dropped after two matches. Prasad was asked if concerns around Ashwin’s form had made them deliberate over the need for an extra spinner.”It is not that Ashwin is out of form,” Prasad said. “It is not because of Ashwin’s form that we considered Kuldeep. We considered Kuldeep because of his quality. He narrowly missed out.” Prasad said Ashwin had been used sparingly in limited-overs cricket to save him for the Champions Trophy.With Yuvraj Singh and Kedar Jadhav capable of bowling part-time spin, the selectors were satisfied with just the two spinners. Instead they went for the extra quick to go with Jasprit Bumrah, Umesh Yadav and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.Shami last played ODI cricket in an attempt to win an ICC Trophy, and now he is back with the same goal ahead of him. The 26-year old was India’s best bowler in the 2015 World Cup but since thenm chronic leg injuries have put a halt to his 50-over career. He proved his match fitness through two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches for Bengal and five IPL games for Delhi Daredevils.”Two years is a long time,” Shami said. “After the injury, I have worked on my strength and my fitness. I have lost weight. I hope to continue from where I left off. It is good that I will get seven-eight IPL matches before I make my return to international cricket.”Rohit, too, has proved his match fitness through the IPL, captaining Mumbai Indians in all their matches so far. He had spent five months nursing a thigh injury, which had “scared him” until he had met with doctors and received clarification.MS Dhoni was the only specialist wicketkeeper in the squad, with the selectors resisting the temptation of going for the youngster Rishabh Pant, who has followed up a superb first-class season with IPL performances that have demanded the attention of the world. Prasad said he still considered Dhoni the best glovesman in the world, but also asked Pant to not feel disheartened because he was ‘one for the future’.Should there be an injury to Dhoni or anyone else, India have named five players as standby, which includes two wicketkeepers, Pant and Dinesh Karthik. Like Pant, Kuldeep made it to the list of standby players as another one ‘for the future’. Fast bowler Shardul Thakur, and Suresh Raina were the others asked to report to the National Cricket Academy (NCA) in Bangalore. The BCCI will proceed with their visa applications to the UK in case quick replacements are needed later.India begin their tournament against Pakistan on June 4 at Edgbaston, then play Sri Lanka on June 8 and South Africa on June 11.

Royal Challengers Bangalore, possessing the most glittering batting line-up in Twenty20 cricket, sensationally collapsed to 49 all out, the lowest score in the IPL, to lose to Kolkata Knight Riders

The Report by Sidharth Monga23-Apr-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
4:23

Agarkar: Disgraceful batting performance from RCB

One hundred and thirty-two runs. That’s all Royal Challengers Bangalore needed. A little over 13 runs per wicket, only 6.6 runs an over, with Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in their side. Against quality pace bowling led by the astute Gautam Gambhir, the most glittering batting line-up in Twenty20 cricket sensationally collapsed to 49 all out, the lowest score in the IPL and the 10th-lowest in all Twenty20 cricket. Not one man reached double figures. This was only the 10th time in the IPL that a total of 131 or under was defended successfully.At the halfway mark, Kolkata Knight Riders felt they were about 50 short of the par score, especially after the start Sunil Narine had given them: a 17-ball 34 in the fastest team fifty this IPL. They had collapsed from 65 for 1 to be bowled out only for the third time when batting first in IPL. That fall couldn’t hold a candle to Royal Challengers, though, who batted with their edges, starting with a golden duck for captain Kohli.Nathan Coulter-Nile began the slide with the wickets of Kohli, AB de Villiers and Kedar Jadhav in his first three overs, and then Chris Woakes and Colin de Grandhomme feasted on the carcass, taking three wickets each. With Umesh Yadav taking the other wicket, this was the fifth time all 10 wickets had fallen to pace in the IPL.Trini PosseAt the toss, Kohli said he expected the pitch to be a little tacky, and thus helpful to seam, after rain last night and a delayed start because of more rain. However, he opened with his trusted legspinner Samuel Badree, who has for long been one of the best T20 new-ball bowlers. Fellow Trinidadian, Narine, played him like a man who knows him inside out. Immediately he played him like a slow seam bowler angling the ball away from him as opposed to bringing it back in. 4, 4, 6, 4 in the first over, and Knight Riders had their most productive first over since 2013. Narine continuing punishing S Aravind, who had a decent Powerplay economy rate of 7.32, in the third over.Mills, Binny strikeThe Narine onslaught forced Kohli to bowl half of Tymal Mills’ quota in the first four overs. It also meant Kohli had to hold back his two other big bowlers, legspinners Badree and Yuzvendra Chahal. Mills responded, though, hitting Gambhir’s thumb on the way to Jadhav in the fourth over. A slower short ball from Stuart Binny in the sixth over accounted for Narine, who pulled and found deep square leg.Legspinners come backIn the last match at Eden Gardens, Knight Riders posted 187, and lost with 10 balls to spare. They must have been under extra pressure now to get a total that was Gayle-Kohli-de-Villiers-proof, which is perhaps why they kept going after the legspinners. Badree and especially Chahal loved it. Robin Uthappa fell playing Badree across the line, Yusuf Pathan was stumped down the leg side off Chahal, de Grandhomme skipped out and edged Chahal to slip, and Manish Pandey flicked a Chahal full toss to midwicket. The real show, though, was yet to begin.Pace like fireGoing into the chase, Royal Challengers might have thought of getting a big net run rate bonus here. Small ground, quick outfield, a paltry total to chase, with explosive batsmen in the shed, this was fertile ground for a quick finish and big momentum.Gambhir, on the other hand, walked out like a desperate nothing-to-lose Tony Montana from . He had his helmet on, and he asked Royal Challengers to say hello to his little friend: raw pace and upright seam. A pumped-up Coulter-Nile began with a massive no-ball, but he hit Gayle on the shoulder on the free hit. And when Kohli faced first up, Gambhir had a second slip in place, which is where the edge to the outswinger went.At the other end, Umesh was cut straight to point by Mandeep Singh, who had moved ahead of de Villiers in the order. The strategy for de Villiers this season has been to give him no room, doing which Knight Riders conceded two early boundaries, but a sharp bouncer from Coulter-Nile drew the fatal top-edge on the hook from well outside off.Towards the end of the fourth over, Gambhir was seen gesturing towards fine leg. He wanted one more from Coulter-Nile, who came back and accounted for Jadhav with the first ball of his third over. Gambhir also knew that Gayle was not enjoying the pace, and he kept peppering him with the pace of Umesh.Gambhir then overlooked Sunil Narine and Kuldeep Yadav, who many might have thought were the key now, with the score 39 for 4 after six overs and with Gayle on 7 off 15. He went to Woakes, who was not going to pitch anything in Gayle’s half, even if it meant bowling a wide. That wide out of the way, perhaps Gayle felt there would be no more short balls in the over, but Woakes still bounced him, handcuffing his attempt at a big shot, and having him caught at wide mid-off. The rest was just a procession.

Todd Boehly is eyeing a Chelsea move for Bayer Leverkusen youngster Florian Wirtz this summer as Mauricio Pochettino looks to continue his overhaul of the squad ahead of 2023/24.

What’s the latest on Florian Wirtz to Chelsea?

According to journalist Simon Phillips reporting on his Substack, the Blues are currently keen on making a move for the talented attacking midfielder as Pochettino looks to rejuvenate the squad.

The 20-year-old currently earns £76k-per-week at the Bundesliga outfit and if he joins Chelsea, he will surely secure a major increase on that figure. The German international has a contract until 2027, indicating that the Blues will need to submit a substantial offer if they have any ambitions of signing Wirtz during the transfer window.

Could Chelsea sign Florian Wirtz this summer?

The Stamford Bridge side are undergoing a huge rebuild this summer, with a mass exodus currently occurring, as seven players have already departed and there will likely be more as the club try to keep in line with the financial fair play rules.

There will need to be some new arrivals to offset the large volume of exits however, and Wirtz could be an excellent option, with the youngster looking to follow in the same trajectory as compatriot Kai Havertz.

Havertz left Chelsea to join Arsenal following a three-year spell at the Blues and he too, like Wirtz, played for Leverkusen before making a move to the Premier League.

The duo also tend to operate in similar positions too, with Havertz perhaps more forward-thinking as he is usually deployed as a centre-forward whereas Wirtz mainly plays just behind the striker, or on the right wing if required.

The “incredible” talent – as dubbed by Fabrizio Romano – has already scored 23 times and registered 30 assists during his spell at Leverkusen, despite only turning 20 in May and Havertz also shone at the club during the embryonic stages of his career.

The 24-year-old was even more prolific, netting 46 goals while securing 31 assists during his spell in Germany and the pair have both proven they are dangerous in the final third.

The youngster has actually outshone Havertz over a few attacking metrics across the previous 365 days, completing more successful take-ons per 90 (3.87 to 0.82), shot-creating actions per 90 (5.66 to 2.48) and progressive passes per 90 (6.71 to 3.27), underlining just how effective he is in the final third, and he could even be an upgrade on the former Chelsea star judging by these statistics.

Statman Dave even went as far as to hail him a “wonderkid” and the future appears bright for the German starlet.