Chelsea planning Watkins swap deal involving £50m star as Doue valuation emerges

Chelsea have had a busy start to the summer transfer window and they are showing no sign of slowing down as Enzo Maresca tries to further bolster his squad.

Marc Guiu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Omari Kellyman, Renato Veiga and Tosin Adarabioyo have all come through the Stamford Bridge doors, totalling around a combined £65million.

Meanwhile, Ian Maatsen and Omari Hutchinson departed at the end of last month and the start of this, while Hakim Ziyech, Lewis Hall and Thiago Silva officially left the club. More could follow both in and out, however.

With that in mind, football.london takes a look at the latest rumours and gossip from the Blues…

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Watkins swap deal

Chelsea are reportedly preparing to offer Conor Gallagher plus cash to Aston Villa for Ollie Watkins.

Football Insider reports that the Blues are “willing to push the boat out” in any attempts to sign the England striker. Villa are credited with an interest in Gallagher, but the player is not said to be keen on making the move.

Watkins would be the second forward from the West Midlands club they have sought this summer. Jhon Duran is who they first tried to sign, but talks have since stalled. Since then they have signed Omari Kellyman and sold Ian Maatsen to Villa.

football.london says: Chelsea need to sign at least one new centre forward this summer, whether that is to replace Nicolas Jackson or as second fiddle to the Senegal international. Ollie Watkins is one of the best strikers in Europe right now and the Blues would be lucky to have him at their disposal.

But that should not put Chelsea off from having a go to sign him. He would significantly bolster their forward line and give them an extra bit of quality they might need to break back into the top-four. A deal that includes Conor Gallagher would be even better, too, considering he could be sold anyway this summer.

Doue interest

Chelsea are said to be one of several suitors to sign Desire Doue this summer.

L’Équipe reports that Arsenal and Tottenham are also interested alongside Paris Saint-Germain. Le Parisien has also reported that Bayern Munich recently had a £30million bid rejected by Rennes. Paris Saint-Germain are also credited with an interest in the teenager after a standout season in Ligue 1.

The winger is spending this summer with the France Olympics squad, which includes his former club teammate and current Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu. They played together during the 2022/23 season before the Blues paid £23 million to sign his compatriot.

football.london says: Although a new winger is not on Chelsea’s priority incoming shopping list, they would do little wrong by dipping into that market and having a look at Doue this summer. An industrious and talented playmaker, Doue would add more quality and class to the Blues squad.

However, Chelsea should look at signing a new striker first before moving to sign a winger and someone such as Doue. With Cole Palmer, Raheem Sterling, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Noni Madueke as wide options, do Chelsea need another winger? Potentially but it should not be prioritised, that is for sure.