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    How Leicester could line up if Dean Smith stays with John Terry using his Chelsea connections to bring in stars

    LEICESTER could line-up with a number of Chelsea stars in their team for next season if they stay in the Premier League. The Foxes have just appointed Dean Smith as manager with John Terry as his assistant after the sacking of Brendan Rodgers.
    Dean Smith has been joined by John Terry at LeicesterCredit: Getty
    Chelsea could sell Ruben Loftus-Cheek this summerCredit: Getty
    Leicester currently sit 19th in the league, two points from safety and could freshen up their squad over the summer.
    Ex-Blues captain Terry could use his links to his former club and help them pinch a number of their players.
    Chelsea are preparing to sell several stars with owner Todd Boehly expected to continue his overhaul.
    The likes of Trevoh Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could see their days numbered after both have failed to nail down starting spots this season.
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    Conor Gallagher could also be on the move after not winning over Chelsea fans this term.
    In Boehly’s huge cull, players such as Mason Mount, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could all depart, but they would be unlikely to join Leicester.
    Armando Broja is currently sidelinded with a long-term ACL injury and he is not predicted to get many minutes when he is back fit.
    Chelsea will surely spend big money on a striker this summer and Broja is the type of young and quick attacker Smith could want.
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    How Leicester could line-up with Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah in the team
    Jamie Vardy’s best days are behind him aged 36, meanwhile, Patson Daka and Kelechi Iheanacho have not bagged enough goals this season with seven in the league between them.
    Another set to leave Stamford Bridge is Callum Hudson-Odoi.
    The winger has not impressed on loan at Bayer Leverkusen, netting once in 21 games.
    However, he has undoubted talent and could receive a new lease of life back in the Prem with Leicester.
    Smith could also want a new winger if Tete’s loan deal cannot be made permanent from Shakhtar Donestk.
    Leicester’s line-up for next season could look very different if they are relegated, with James Maddison and Harvey Barnes set to be big name exits.
    And Youri Tielemans is set to leave with his contract expiring within months.
    Leicester could also be interested in Armando Broja More

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    Real Madrid’s ‘bad cop’ Davide Ancelotti hatches dark arts plan to ‘trap’ Chelsea in Champions League

    REAL MADRID assistant coach Davide Ancelotti has hatched a plan to help them beat Chelsea in the Champions League.The son and right-hand man of manager Carlo Ancelotti is hoping to use the ‘dark arts’ to give the LaLiga side the advantage over the two legs of the quarter-final tie.
    Davide Ancelotti is hoping to force Chelsea’s player into being banned for the second legCredit: Getty
    Reece James and Enzo Fernandez are two of seven players risking suspensionCredit: Reuters
    Ancelotti is hoping to make the second leg at Stamford Bridge easier by getting Chelsea’s players booked at the Santiago Bernabeu.
    Frank Lampard’s squad currently have SEVEN players at risk of suspension heading into the first leg in Spain.
    Kepa Arrizabalaga, Thiago Silva, Enzo Fernández, Conor Gallagher, Reece James, Kalidou Koulibaly and Mykhailo Mudryk will all miss the second leg should they be cautioned on Wednesday evening.
    Therefore the Italian is hoping to get the Madrid stars to ‘tighten’ onto the Blues to trap them into getting booked.
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    Chelsea have collected 20 bookings in the competition so far this season, 14 more than Real Madrid’s total.
    The West London side have committed 111 fouls in the eight games in the current Champions League campaign.

    While Madrid have been a lot more disciplined and have no risk of players being banned for the second leg, unless they are given a red card.
    The clash is Lampard’s second game in charge since returning to the club as interim manager.
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    The former Chelsea midfielder lost his first game 1-0 to Wolves in the Premier League on the weekend.
    However, the Englishman has been backed for success by ex-Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink.
    The Dutchman believes that Lampard has a great chance to give the Blues a successful end to a difficult season by winning the Champions League. More

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    Joao Felix ‘has not stopped boasting’ since joining Chelsea and Blues are desperate to make transfer permanent

    JOAO FELIX has reportedly “not stopped boasting” about being a Chelsea player since arriving at Stamford Bridge.The Atletico Madrid loanee, 23, joined the Blues in the January transfer window in a short-term deal until the end of the season.
    Joao Felix has impressed since arriving in the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty
    Chelsea agreed a deal worth £10million for Felix – who is set to return to Spain in the summer.
    However, the Portuguese forward is understood to want a permanent departure as he does not wish to head back to Diego Simeone’s side.
    And according to AS, Felix has been gushing about how the Chelsea shirt looks on him, as well as the playing style and fans of the club.
    Atletico signed Felix from Benfica in 2019 for a club record £111m.
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    And they are set to command a “significant amount” if Chelsea wish to prise him away from the Wanda Metropolitano.
    Felix’s price is also expected to increase if he has a major impact on the Blues’ tie with Real Madrid in the Champions League.
    The Portugal international has registered just two goals in 12 games for Chelsea.
    But his energy, skill and link-up play has impressed the Stamford Bridge faithful.
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    That is despite him receiving a red card on his debut against Fulham in the West London derby in January.
    The standout performances he has produced for Chelsea have been few and far between in the Spanish capital.
    Since his club record move, he has contributed 34 goals and 18 assists in 131 games for Atletico.
    And he started just seven of their 16 league matches this season before being loaned out. More

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    Chelsea hold positive transfer talks with Gavi’s agent as they look to take advantage of Barcelona ace’s contract issues

    CHELSEA have met with the agent of Barcelona star Gavi ahead of a potential summer move, according to reports. Blues director of football Christopher Vivell supposedly met with the 18-year-old’s representatives with initial talks going well.
    Barca midfielder Gavi has been in talks with ChelseaCredit: AFP
    AS report that another meeting is scheduled for the coming weeks with Chelsea keen to push forward with the deal.
    Gavi only recently signed a new contract at the Nou Camp, keeping him at the club until 2026.
    However, the Catalan giants are unable to register him as a first-team player due to financial problems.
    If the issue is not resolved then the midfielder could leave on a free transfer at the end of the season as his contract will be void.
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    Barcelona supposedly remain relaxed about the situation and Gavi does not want to leave the club.
    Yet, the player is reportedly frustrated over the way the matter has been handled.
    Chelsea could offer much more than Barca would be able to and could hand Gavi a huge signing-on fee.
    If the West Londoners were to bring in ex-Spain boss Luis Enrique as manager for next season, this could further sweeten the deal.
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    Barcelona have been effectively placed under a transfer ban by LaLiga until they sort their finances out.
    Ten players could reportedly leave the league leaders as they need to raise £178million.

    The likes of Ansu Fati, Frenkie de Jong, Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele could all depart.
    Gavi is a wonderkid, who has played 87 times for the club and been capped by Spain on 19 occasions.
    The La Masia product made his debut aged just 17. More

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    Chelsea star Hakim Ziyech wanted by rivals Tottenham in summer transfer to fight wingers for starting spot

    HAKIM ZIYECH is a reported summer transfer target for Tottenham.Spurs are said to be keen on signing the Moroccan winger from rivals Chelsea.
    Hakim Ziyech is a reported transfer target for TottenhamCredit: Getty
    That is according to Football Insider, who say the Blues are willing to accept bids of £20million for Ziyech at the end of the season.
    And Tottenham are reported to have registered an interest in the 30-year-old.
    Spurs already have Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski as wide options, but could sign Ziyech to provide more competition for places.
    Elsewhere in the Premier League, West Ham and Fulham are also claimed to be keen on the Chelsea winger.
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    Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain remain interested in Ziyech, having missed out on signing him on loan in January after Chelsea sent them the wrong documentation.
    Football Insider report that Ziyech would prefer a move to PSG.
    But Spurs are said to be the most likely to sign Ziyech if he remains in the Premier League.
    The former Ajax star has not played for the Blues since the 2-0 loss to Spurs on February 26.
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    He has been left out of the matchday squad entirely for the last four Prem games.
    Ziyech is reported to be willing to move on in order to secure more game time.
    He joined Chelsea in a £38m deal from Ajax in 2020 and has 14 goals and 11 assists in 2012 appearances for the club. More

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    Crystal Palace planning huge summer transfer overhaul with Man Utd and Chelsea stars targeted and Zaha future in doubt

    CRYSTAL PALACE are preparing to spend big in the summer to reboot their long-term plan after sacking Patrick Vieira.The Eagles axed Vieira last month in their bid to beat the drop and turned back to his predecessor, Roy Hodgson.
    Roy Hodgson is in charge at Crystal Palace until the end of the seasonCredit: Getty
    Vieira had replaced Hodgson in 2021 as they looked to move to the new level, investing in a number of younger more attacking players.
    After a successful first season, including an FA Cup semi-final, Vieira failed to kick on in South London and Palace are preparing another push this summer.
    There have been tensions in the boardroom over the level of spending in recent windows, with some feeling more should have been done to help Vieira in January.
    However, there is a feeling everyone is close to being on the same page ahead of the summer.
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    And while there is also a new manager to appoint, with Hodgson currently in the gig until the end of the season, a list of targets are being drawn up.
    The Eagles are keen to bring in new faces along the entire back four, to cover and compete with their existing options.
    Academy product Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who joined Manchester United in 2019, is a target while Palace are braced for interest in England international Marc Guehi.
    Sporting director Dougie Freedman also wants to add more options in midfield, with a No8 high on their list, as the quest to replace last season’s player of the year, Conor Gallagher, continues.
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    The Chelsea man, who shone on loan at Selhurst Park last season, is likely to be available this summer with the Blues in need of a clearout, but Palace will face huge competition.
    With Wilfried Zaha’s future still up in the air and his contract running out in the summer, a winger will also be needed before the new campaign, while any manager will also want a striker added.
    Hodgson has managed to get Palace firing once again but the lack of a clinical striker hurt Vieira as well as the current boss during his first spell at the club.
    Wilfried Zaha’s future still up in the airCredit: Rex More

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    Chelsea star Ben Chilwell set to sign new four-year multi-million pound contract to end Man City transfer interest

    BEN CHILWELL is set to sign a contract extension at Chelsea, reports claim.The 26-year-old’s current deal expires in the summer of 2025.
    Ben Chilwell is reportedly set to sign a new Chelsea contractCredit: Alamy
    Chelsea’s are keen on avoiding having any top stars with less than two years left on their contracts.
    And Chilwell is poised to put pen to paper on a new four-year deal, according to The Athletic.
    That will see his contract run up until the summer of 2027.
    It also wards off reported interest from Premier League champions Manchester City.
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    Reports earlier this year claimed City are long-time admirers of the left-back.
    However, Chilwell is now poised to commit his long-term future to the Blues.
    Chilwell joined the club in a £50million deal from Leicester in 2020, winning the Champions League in his first season at Stamford Bridge.
    A long-term knee injury restricted him to just seven Premier League appearances last season.
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    Chilwell then missed the World Cup with England due to a hamstring problem.
    But he is now back fit and firing and has impressed in what has been a poor campaign for the Blues.
    He has started seven out of the last eight Prem games, scoring two goals and providing four assists in 25 appearances in all competitions so far this season. More

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    Chelsea and Liverpool ‘target one of Serie A’s strongest players in £44m transfer with Inter Milan ace allowed to leave’

    CHELSEA and Liverpool are set to target Inter Milan midfielder Nicolo Barella with the Italian giants prepared to sell for £44million, according to reports. The former Cagliari midfielder joined Inter on an initial loan deal in 2019 with an obligation to buy at the end of that season.
    Nicolo Barella is the subject of interest from Premier League clubs Chelsea and LiverpoolCredit: Getty
    The Italian international has made 127 appearances for the club, scoring 12 goals but is being linked with a move to the Premier League.
    Italian outlet Calciomercato have reported that Inter would allow one of Serie A’s strongest players to leave but not for less than 50 million euros.
    The report adds that only at this price would Inter consider selling Barella with strong interest in the midfielder coming from the Premier League – particularly Chelsea and Liverpool.
    The Blues are enduring a torrid campaign and are looking to strengthen their midfield options in the summer despite splashing out a British record fee on Enzo Fernandez in January.
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    The Blues sold Jorginho to Arsenal in the winter and still haven’t agreed a new deal with N’Golo Kante – whose contract expires at the end of the season.
    Chelsea have been linked with moves for multiple midfield players including West Ham’s Declan Rice and Southampton’s Romeo Lavia.
    Liverpool are looking to revamp their midfield in the summer and have been strongly linked with a move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham but face stiff competition from Europe’s top sides.
    Whomever the six-time European champions decide to bring in, improving the midfield will be vital as they look to rebuild next season following a very disappointing campaign to date.
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    Bellingham isn’t the only name Jurgen Klopp’s side hold interest in with Chelsea’s Mason Mount and Wolves’ Matheus Nunes also being linked with a move to Anfield.
    Barella has been in good form for Inter this season making 28 appearances in Serie A, scoring five goals and contributing seven assists. More