Chelsea pushing hard for £17m shock signing after Romano confirms ‘agreed personal terms’

Chelsea are continuing to push hard to sign Pep Chavarria from Rayo Vallecano after their first offer was turned down, according to reports.

The Blues finished tenth in the Premier League last season with Chelsea failing to qualify for the Champions League or any other European competition ahead of next term.

There have been rumours that Chelsea could now be forced to sign some of their best players with speculation Enzo Fernandez could follow Marc Cucurella out of Stamford Bridge this summer.

Cucurella signed for Real Madrid in a deal worth up to €60m this summer, while Fernandez’s agent has revealed that he is actively looking for a transfer away from Chelsea.

And now Chelsea are lining up a deal to sign Rayo Vallecano left-back Chavarria as they attempt to replace Cucurella by spending a relatively small fee.

Their first offer of €9m was rejected after Chelsea launched a bid after the Blues missed out on top target Alex Grimaldo, who signed a new five-year deal at Atletico Madrid.

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TEAMtalk transfer insider Graeme Bailey explained: ‘New head coach Xabi Alonso had made Grimaldo one of his priority targets after the pair enjoyed tremendous success together at Bayer Leverkusen.

‘Alonso was keen to reunite with the 30-year-old Spanish international, and sources have confirmed to TEAMtalk that Grimaldo seriously considered a move to Stamford Bridge.

‘However, the lure of returning to his homeland ultimately proved decisive. Grimaldo has now signed a five-year contract with Atletico Madrid, leaving Chelsea to move swiftly onto alternative targets.’

And Fabrizio Romano revealed last week that Chelsea have ‘agreed personal terms’ to sign Chavarria as their new left-back with the Blues just needing to come to a resolution over a fee with

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Taking to X, Romano wrote: ‘Chelsea have agreed personal terms with Pep Chavarría as new left back, green light from the player.

‘Chavarría wants Chelsea and wants to play for Xabi Alonso. Club to club talks underway with Rayo Vallecano and deal close.’

And now Estadio Deportivo has revealed that Chelsea are still ‘pushing hard’ to sign Chavarria after their first bid was turned down by Rayo Vallecano, who are looking for around £17m.

The report adds: ‘Pep Chavarría is interested in signing for Chelsea, and negotiations between the parties are ongoing to finalise the deal.

‘The 28-year-old full-back has completed his fourth season at Rayo Vallecano and, despite having a contract until 2030, his future seems to lie away from the Spanish capital. All of this hinges on Beñat San José’s stance.’

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