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    Chelsea transfer blow as ‘Marquinhos set to sign new PSG contract with deal now certain to go ahead’

    CHELSEA’S hopes of signing PSG star Marquinhos appear all-but over with the defender set to sign a contract extension.The star is in his tenth season at the Parc des Princes following his move from Roma in 2013.
    Marquinhos is set to sign a new contract at PSGCredit: Getty
    Marquinhos has won 26 trophies during his time in the French capital, including SEVEN league titles.
    He’s often been linked with a move away from PSG, notably to Stamford Bridge in 2021 when the Blues failed with a £72m bid.
    The 28-year-old has entered the final 18 months of his contract in France.
    But according to Fabrizio Romano, the centre-back is on the verge of signing a new deal.
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    The transfer guru claims that while the contract isn’t officially signed, it’s only a matter of time.
    Despite interest from elsewhere, Marquinhos wants to stay with PSG with the club “100 per cent” convinced he’s part of the present and future.
    Marquinhos has scored twice in 28 appearances this season with the Ligue 1 leaders still on course to win the treble.
    But their hopes of winning the Champions League for the first time ever will be severely put to the test when they face Bayern Munich in the last-16 on Tuesday.
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    PSG are also eight points clear of Marseille at the top of Ligue following a 2-1 victory over Toulouse on Saturday.
    While they face Les Phoceens in the round of 16 in the Coupe de France. More

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    Gary Neville slams Chelsea for overpaying on two ‘strange’ transfers and makes unflattering Boehly comparison

    GARY NEVILLE is stunned by Chelsea’s “strange” overspending as he compared Todd Boehly’s “chaotic” spree to that of an infamous Premier League rival.Manchester United legend Nev singled out two “mad” fees paid amid the Blues’ £600million splash-out since Boehly took over in the summer.
    Gary Neville is puzzled by Chelsea’s extraordinary spending under Todd BoehlyCredit: PA
    Manager Graham Potter has been given the freedom to spend big by Todd Boehly, but it’s not been matched by results on the pitchCredit: Getty
    Chelsea boss Graham Potter spent £326m in January alone, notably £107m on British record buy Enzo Fernandez and £88m for Mykhailo Mudryk.
    Yet the Blues are only ninth – below South London rivals Brentford and Fulham, as well as ten points adrift of the top four.
    Many pundits doubt if any improvement in Potter’s squad matches the amount spent.
    And there are also questions about how quickly a new-look team can gel, given that seven senior newcomers arrived last month.
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    Above all, Neville is amazed Chelsea paid so much for anchorman Fernandez and £64m left-back Marc Cucurella.
    And he believes the spree is similar to the way Ed Woodward tried to buy “everyone” when launching his decade of £900m hit-and-miss buying as Old Trafford executive vice-chairman.
    Woodward’s reign included the dubious value derived from £89m midfielder Paul Pogba, £80m centre-back Harry Maguire, £77m winger Jadon Sancho (£77m) and £75m hitman Romelu Lukaku (£75m).
    And Nev told Sky Bet’s The Overlap: “It felt like that at Chelsea in the summer. It was chaotic.
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    “Marc Cucurella for £64m and Enzo Fernandez for £107m – that’s a full-back and a midfielder who will sit at the base of a three.
    “The ceiling on those types of players – like Rodri, Fabinho, Casemiro – they are £50-60m positions.
    “These aren’t players that are playing in the forward part of the pitch and scoring you 30 goals, so what they’re paying for the positions, what they’re getting for the money, they just seem like strange transfers.
    “I’m not saying the players are no good. They could be really good and could go on to be great. But the fees for players in those positions seem mad to me.”
    The huge sums Chelsea paid make Enzo Fernandez, left, and Marc Cucurella, right, ‘strange’ signings, according to Gary NevilleCredit: AP More

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    Atletico Madrid reveal outrageous price Chelsea must pay for Joao Felix if they want to keep him beyond loan spell

    ATLETICO MADRID’S asking price to make Joao Felix’s loan to Chelsea permanent has reportedly been set. Felix swapped the Wanda Metropolitano for Stamford Bridge during the January window, with the cost of the loan fee alone a cool £10million.
    Joao Felix could make a permanent switch to Chelsea in the summerCredit: Getty
    But it would mean Todd Boehly would need to break the British transfer record once againCredit: Getty
    With Atletico Madrid facing the ignominy of failing to qualify for the Champions League, their finances are set to be take a huge blow which will likely see them forced into flogging a number of their highest-earning stars.
    This is where Felix comes in. The Portuguese ace’s future at the club was far from certain when he left on loan given his poor relationship with current under-fire boss Diego Simeone.
    Indeed, there is a clause in the loan deal which will allow Chelsea to sign him properly, however no fee was agreed.
    If he performs well during his loan spell, he could seal a full move to Graham Potter’s side in the summer.
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    According to Mundo Deportivo, Atletico are more than happy to let Felix go if their price tag is met.
    But meeting their demands will mean Chelsea forking out a British transfer record of £124.5m.
    That figure would see Atletico turn a profit on the attacker after splashing £115m to get him from Benfica in 2019.
    If any club is willing to meet those demands it is Chelsea, who set a new bar for both a single player transfer fee and for money spent in a single window last month.
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    The £107m spent on Enzo Fernandez fuelled a splurge of £326m on transfer fees in January alone, seeing Todd Boehly’s total outlay on transfers since taking over eclipse the £600m mark.
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    And their lavish spending has seen them top the list for worst net spend since 2018/19.
    Felix has already cost the Blues £3m in unused wages after he was sent off for a reckless challenge on his debut against Fulham.
    The 23-year-old is set to return following his suspension when Chelsea visit West Ham on Saturday.
    Selling Felix would give Atletico the flexibility to move for a number of targets, namely Leicester star Caglar Soyuncu or Marcus Thuram. More

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    Borussia Dortmund and England star Jude Bellingham REJECTS summer transfer to two European giants

    BORUSSIA DORTMUND star Jude Bellingham has rejected approaches from two European giants ahead of the summer transfer window, according to reports.The 19-year-old is high on many top side’s wishlists with the player currently weighing up his options.
    Jude Bellingham has supposedly rejected moves from PSG and ChelseaCredit: Getty
    Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain have both supposedly seen early moves knocked back by the midfielder himself.
    Bellingham appears to be against joining either of those two amid interest from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Real Madrid.
    Outlet Sport1 claim that Dortmund will try to convince him to stay rather than accept he could go for a fee likely to be well above £100million.
    They want to make him their highest earner and hand him a staggering £13.3million yearly wage.
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    However, the grounded wonderkid will supposedly not be swayed by money and will make a decision on his future purely on where he wants to play.
    Liverpool were leading the race for him but their current woes could lead to them missing out on a deal.
    Meanwhile, The Athletic have reported that Real Madrid scout Juni Calafat has been “taking care of relations” with Bellingham’s father, Mark, who manages his son’s career.
    Yet Los Blancos could find it tough to compete with the financial strength of Premier League teams.
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    Bellingham is one of the most sought-after talents in football, having lit up the World Cup for England as well as the Bundesliga and Champions League.
    The teenager has been in incredible form for Dortmund this season, scoring ten goals and getting five assists in 25 games.
    He has also captained Edin Terzic’s side on a number of occasions, becoming the youngest skipper in Bundesliga history. More

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    Worst 10 clubs in net transfer spending revealed with Chelsea top and English clubs unsurprisingly dominating list

    THE worst clubs in terms of net spending have been revealed.And the list is unsurprisingly dominated by English sides, who make up NINE of the top 10.
    Chelsea have the worst net spent in the last five seasons
    Chelsea have spent big on the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and Enzo FernandezCredit: Getty
    Boffins at the CIES Football Observatory have been crunching stats to find the worst net spend offenders since the 2018/19 season.
    They looked at the amount spent on incomings and the amount received for outgoings across the 100 most active teams of the last five years.
    Incredibly, a quarter of those sides are made up from English clubs – and just two of those, Watford and Norwich, boast a positive net spend.
    Chelsea are by far the worst offenders after Todd Boehly’s incredible splurge in the last two windows.
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    They boast a total net spend of -£665million, despite having positive net spends in two of the past five years.
    Man Utd aren’t far behind in second place with -£595m, having never recorded a positive net spend in the same time period.
    And Arsenal, who are in the same boat, are third with -£483m.
    The list continues with more English clubs including Tottenham, West Ham and Newcastle.
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    Aston Villa and Wolves then precede the one non-English side in the top 10, Juventus – who are currently in financial dire straights.
    And the group is rounded off by struggling Liverpool.
    Down the other end of the table, it is a different story.
    Watford are the only English side to sneak into the 20 clubs with the most positive net spends, taking 17th place.
    But top of the pile are Benfica, who boast an incredible profit of £329m after selling stars including Enzo Fernandez, Darwin Nunez and Ruben Dias to Premier League sides.
    In second place are Lille on £274m, and Ajax are third with £259m. More

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    Man Utd interested in shock swoop for ex-Chelsea star Tammy Abraham as striker alternative to Victor Osimhen

    MANCHESTER UNITED have reportedly placed Tammy Abraham on their transfer wishlist.The Red Devils lost Cristiano Ronaldo in December but brought in Wout Weghorst on-loan to bolster their forward line.
    Tammy Abraham is among the names on Man Utd’s transfer wishlistCredit: Rex
    However, boss Erik ten Hag is looking to bring in a new striker this summer and has identified Napoli’s Victor Osimhen as his No1 target.
    They have also been linked with a swoop for Harry Kane, who became Tottenham’s record-goalscorer last weekend.
    Now a report in the Telegraph have claimed that United have also drawn up a list of potential back-up options.
    And one of those is Roma’s former Chelsea star Abraham, who is under contract until 2026.
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    The England international, 25, has proven himself to be a more than capable goalscorer in Italy since he joined Jose Mourinho’s side in 2021.
    He grabbed 17 Serie A goals and 27 in all competitions last season to help the club claim the inaugural Europa Conference League.

    But this term he has not been quite as prolific with just seven from his 27 appearances.
    Arsenal and Aston Villa have both been linked with moves to bring back the star back to the Premier League previously.
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    The switch to Roma ended Abraham’s 17-year affiliation with Chelsea.
    He joined the academy at Under-8s level and became a first-team regular after loans with Bristol City, Swansea and Aston Villa. 
    In 82 first-team appearances for the Blues, he managed 30 goals – including 12 in the 2020/21 season to make him the joint-top scorer. 
    The London-born ace also has three goals in 11 caps for England but was not selected as part of Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad. More

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    Chelsea legend Frank Leboeuf SLAMS Marc Cucurella and says defender ‘is not good enough’ to play for Blues

    MARC CUCURELLA is “not good enough” to play for Chelsea, according to Blues legend Frank Leboeuf.Spaniard Cucurella, 26, arrived from Brighton in the summer for £62million.
    Frank Leboeuf says Marc Cucurella is ‘not good enough’ to play for ChelseaCredit: Getty
    Boss Graham Potter admitted the Spaniard has been suffering ‘family issues’Credit: Getty
    Since then the left-back has found good form difficult to come by amid Chelsea’s struggles.
    And that has led to him being dropped from the starting XI in recent games in favour of Cobham graduate Lewis Hall.
    Boss Graham Potter, who previously worked with the ex-Barcelona and Getafe ace at Brighton, has revealed that Cucurella has had family issues while going through his “difficult” transition to life at Stamford Bridge.
    But Chelsea legend Leboeuf, who won two FA Cups, a League Cup and the Uefa Cup and Super Cup during his five years at the club, is having none of it.
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    He told ESPN: “Hopefully Reece James and Ben Chilwell will go back into fitness as soon as possible because we need them.
    “We don’t want to see Cucurella anymore. With all due respect to a man that I don’t know, the player is not good enough for Chelsea. It’s as simple as that. 
    “It’s crazy that they signed him for £60m or £70m, but we can see that he doesn’t belong to this level.”
    Cucurella has been deployed at both full-back and centre-half in a back three this term.
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    He has started 16 of Chelsea’s 21 Premier League matches.
    Chelsea are currently languishing ninth in the top-flight and are 10 points off the top four and potentially looking at missing out on European football altogether next season.
    However, they are still in the Champions League and are preparing to face Borussia Dortmund in the last-16. More

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    Meet £6m England wonderkid Jimmy-Jay Morgan, 17, who Chelsea beat Man City and Arsenal to sign

    GARETH BALE, Luke Shaw, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and more have made their name away from Southampton, after coming through the club’s famed academy.The latest youngster who is expected to wow Premier League fans in years to come is Jimmy-Jay Morgan.
    Jimmy-Jay Morgan is expected to take the Premier League by stormCredit: Getty
    Morgan, who was at Southampton, has joined Chelsea for £6m
    But, the fleet-footed forward, 17, won’t be showcasing his skills on the south coast.
    Instead, he could turn out for Chelsea – after joining the Blues in a £6million deal on the last day of the January transfer window.
    Todd Boehly’s team reportedly beat Man City and Arsenal to the signing of the teenager.
    So, what kind of player are they getting?
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    Last year, Morgan scored 27 goals for the U16s – frightening defences with his pace, power and lethal finishing.
    He was promoted to the U18s, where he scored 13 more.
    This campaign, the wonderkid has added hold-up play to his game.
    It hasn’t stopped him from scoring goals for fun, including six in 13 starts. But he has added five assists too that show he’s become a better team player.
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    Saints coach Louis Carey purred about the England U17 star after Morgan scored a hat-trick in the Premier League Cup – a competition for U21s.
    ““I know Jimmy gets the headlines and the match ball, he can finish and the range of finishes is at the level we probably haven’t seen coming through the system for many years,” Carey said after Southampton brushed aside Birmingham 4-0.
    “That’s a huge positive, but when you look at the goals it’s a set-play that’s worked on, him pressing or Dom Ballard making incredible runs to take away defenders, and then the quality from the boys to find the pass, effort that allows his goals to come.
    “But at the end of it you need someone like Jimmy to finish, and as I said I think he’s one of the best I’ve seen in my time here.”
    Last year, Morgan scored 27 goals for the Saints in the U16s
    Morgan has been capped by England at youth level
    With just 18 months left on his contract Southampton had to cash in on MorganCredit: Getty
    Contract rebel
    Morgan had just 18-months left of his contract, before Chelsea swooped.
    After he turned down a deal the week before the Blues came in for him, manager Nathan Jones hoped he would make the “right choices” in his career.
    Ahead of the FA Cup tie against Blackpool, Jones said: “Jimmy is a fantastic player with a bright future if he picks the right choices and the people that are working with him handle him well and if we work him in training and develop him into the right level.”
    However, he was snubbed from the match day squad, which Jones had explained the reasons for before.
    “If it’s right for us tomorrow to put a youngster in, we’ll do it. What we won’t do is put anyone in gratuitously,” he said.
    Morgan left Southampton without making a first team appearance
    Big things are expected from Morgan
    “They have to earn it, they have to be ready. When they do and they get their opportunities, we’d like them to take it, so we’ll see.”
    Sadly for Southampton fans, they didn’t get the chance to see Morgan in action.
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    He leaves without making a first team appearance. Time will tell if he made the “right choice” in joining Chelsea and will get the opportunities to impress. More