Chelsea edge closer to deals for Michael Olise, Romeo Lavia as part of massive summer transfer spend

London side, Chelsea are reportedly edging closer in recent hours to a stunning double-swoop for Southampton midfielder, Romeo Lavia, as well as Crystal Palace wideman, Michael Olise – reportedly meeting the minimum fee release clause of the latter with a £35,000,000 bid overnight.

The side, who hired former Spurs and Paris Saint Germain head coach, Mauricio Pochettino earlier this year, got their Premier League campaign underway over the weekend against Liverpool, holding the Jurgen Klopp side to a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, with an equaliser from new signing, Axel Disasi cancelling out an opener from Colombia forward, Luis Diaz. 

And earlier this week, the two-time UEFA Champions League winners agreed a British transfer record deal, reportedly worth upwards of £115,000,000 with Brighton & Hove Albion, to side Ecuadorian midfielder, Moises Caicedo, beating out the aforementioned Liverpool in a summer-long transfer saga for the highly-touted midfield controller. 

Enjoying a stunning transfer spend – close to an eye-watering billion pounds output in the last three transfer windows, 9 Pots of Gold would likely prove a cheaper option in purchasing for the London side’s funds provider, Todd Boelhy. 

Offloading a shed load of players this summer ahead of a massive transfer overhaul for Argentine head coach, Pochettino, Chelsea have brought in notable names such as Malo Gusto, Robert Sanchez, Nicolas Jackson, Lesley Ugochukwu, Christopher Nkunku, as well as the previously mentioned, Caicedo.

And amid reports of continued spending this summer, the London side have struck an agreement to sign Belgian prospect, Lavia from Championship returners, Southampton, set to complete a deal in the region of £58,000,000 for the former Manchester City youth academy star.

Hot on the heels of an arrival of Lavia to Stamford Bridge could come in the form of the highly-sought-after winger, Michael Olise, whom himself has been linked with a move to Manchester City to replace Algerian forward, Riyad Mahrez, although reports suggest Pep Guardiola’s side will continue in their pursuit of Rennais wideman, Jérémy Doku. 

Sidelined through injury, Olise, 21, underwent a surgical procedure to address a hamstring injury sufffered while on international duty with France. 

The London-born forward had been slapped with a minimum fee release clause of £35,000,000 by Crystal Palace, having arrived from Reading back in 2021 in a deal worth in the region of £8,000,000.

Returning to action this week in their sophomore Premier League outing of the summer, Chelsea feature at Stamford Bridge this Friday night, taking on division newcomers Luton Town – with the latter attempting to land a shocking upset victory in London after a 4-1 trashing away to Brighton in their Premier League opener last weekend.

Hoping to improve on a torrid Premier League season last campaign, Chelsea went through a spell of three separate managers, including current Bayern Munich head coach, Thomas Tuchel, as well as former Brighton boss, Graham Potter, as well as former player and fan-favorite, Frank Lampard, who made a brief return to the side in a caretaker role after another prior spell as manager.