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    Chelsea have second Anthony Gordon transfer bid worth £45m REJECTED as Everton desperately look to keep youngster

    CHELSEA have had a £45million bid for Anthony Gordon rejected by Everton.The Blues made an initial £40m offer for the winger last weekend, but it was immediately dismissed.
    Everton have rejected Chelsea’s £45m bid for GordonCredit: Getty
    Thomas Tuchel was then eager to respond with an improved bid of £45m, but that was still considered too low by Frank Lampard.
    According to The Times, Everton are now demanding at least £50m for Gordon’s services.
    It remains possible that Chelsea could still go back with another improved offer, but Everton officials believe that Tuchel will now lose interest.
    Meanwhile, The Toffees are pushing to negotiate a new deal for the 21-year-old.
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    Talks on a new contract opened after Newcastle and Tottenham both expressed an interest in signing Gordon.
    Spurs had attempted to sign him while pursuing a deal for Richarlison, but they could only manage to secure the services of the Brazil international.
    And just a few weeks later, Newcastle approached the club to discuss the possibility of a £35m move.
    Gordon is understood to be willing to leave Goodison Park, but Everton want to keep him for at least one more season.
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    The winger joined Everton’s academy in 2012 before rising through the ranks to make his professional debut in 2017.
    He has since scored four goals and assisted eight in 62 appearances for the club. More

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    Barcelona slammed for ‘mafia’ treatment of Man Utd and Chelsea transfer target Frenkie de Jong by Rafael van der Vaart

    BARCELONA have been slammed for their “mafia” treatment of Manchester United and Chelsea target Frenkie de Jong.Holland legend Rafael van der Vaart reckons the Spaniards have acted like crooks regarding De Jong’s future this summer.
    Barcelona have been accused of ‘mafia’ treatment regarding Frenkie de Jong’s futureCredit: Getty
    Rafael van der Vaart has slammed Barcelona for their unacceptable behaviourCredit: Getty – Contributor
    Xavi Hernandez claims the midfield playmaker has a huge role at Barcelona this season.
    But behind the scenes, club president Joan Laporta has tried putting the squeeze on De Jong by making him take a major pay cut.
    That’s despite the club splashing out on expensive new signings including Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.
    Meanwhile, De Jong is still owed over £14MILLION in unpaid wages from last season.
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    And Barca are now threatening to take legal action unless De Jong backs down.
    The situation has led to Chelsea and Man United both vying for the ace’s signature.
    Incredibly, De Jong’s preference is to REMAIN at Barcelona despite his treatment there.
    But one man who won’t shy away from what’s been going on is compatriot Van der Vaart.
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    The decorated attacker, who spent two seasons at Real Madrid, has hit out at Barca for their unfair tactics against De Jong.
    He believes the star is absolutely entitled to the contract he signed with the Catalans.
    And if there was a problem, it could easily have been resolved had Barcelona not taken such a hard stance from the outset.
    Van der Vaart told Ziggo Sport: “You can’t treat people like that.
    “Frenkie earns too much? First you sign a contract and then you fulfil it or you go on good terms, but not like that.
    “This is mafia and they must be punished.” More

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    Chelsea’s new owners ready to show commitment to Thomas Tuchel by DOUBLING length of German’s contract

    CHELSEA have opened talks with Thomas Tuchel about doubling the length of his contract as boss.The coach who won them a second Champions League title has two years left on his existing deal.
    Thomas Tuchel could be rewarded for his strong working relationship with new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly by seeing his contract extendedCredit: AFP
    Chelsea Owner Todd Boehly has been impressed by Thomas Tuchel’s direction as the manager rebuilds after finishing third in the Prem last seasonCredit: Getty
    But negotiations are already underway into adding another two seasons as a reward for his success and commitment.
    The outspoken German stood by Chelsea even when the club’s existence was in doubt earlier this year.
    Tuchel was adamant he would not leave when former owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK government following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, triggering an emergency takeover.
    New owners have since come in led by American tycoon Todd Boehly and the pair are forging a strong working relationship.
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    Tuchel has spent more than £100million on new signings Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella and he does not want to stop there.
    Barcelona pair Frenkie de Jong and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Leicester’s Wesley Fofana and Everton star Anthony Gordon are being targeted as Tuchel bids to build a new era of glory at Stamford Bridge.
    Tuchel signed a 17-month deal initially with Chelsea when he took over from sacked Frank Lampard in late January 2021.
    A three year extension kicked in after he led them to a second European crown that summer with victory over Manchester City in Paris for which he was named UEFA coach of the year.
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    Victory in the European Super Cup was followed by winning the Club World Cup in February – the only major trophy that had eluded Chelsea until then.
    Just over a year down the line, the new consortium in charge has been hugely impressed with Tuchel’s qualities and leadership and want to tie his future down even more to the club.
    Ambitious Chelsea are planning for the long term in their bid to upset Manchester City and Liverpool’s domination of the Premier League.
    Tuchel lost both domestic cup finals to Liverpool last season but is still seen as the man to lead Chelsea into a new era of consistent success at home and abroad.
    Talks over a new deal are at an early stage.
    But the board are hopeful they can convince Tuchel to sign a contract that will keep him as head coach until 2026 at a club where only two managers have lasted more than two years since Jose Mourinho’s first spell in charge in 2004. More

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    Callum Hudson-Odoi pulled from Chelsea U-21s game as Newcastle edge closer to loan transfer for out-of-favour winger

    CHELSEA pulled Callum Hudson-Odoi from Monday night’s Under-21 game as the winger closes on a loan switch to Newcastle.Premier League clubs are battling to borrow the England ace, 21, after Blues’ boss Thomas Tuchel benched him.
    England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi seems certain to exit Chelsea on loan, with Newcastle well placed to sign him for the seasonCredit: Getty
    And he was one FOUR Chelsea subs eyed by Newcastle co-owners Amanda Staveley and Mehrad Ghodoussi in Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.
    As guests of Chelsea owner Todd Boehly, the husband and wife duo were deep in conversation with west London counterpart Behdad Eghbali.
    The Toon’s other three targets- Conor Gallagher, Christian Pulisic and Armando Broja – all came on, but Hudson-Odoi was again unused.
    And the fact Chelsea withdrew him from a development squad match against Fulham suggests the Saudi-backed Toon are making their move.
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    Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Leicester and Southampton have also been linked with the three-cap Londoner.
    But Newcastle are now strong favourites to complete a deal within days.
    Prem clubs, however, can only borrow one player from each top-flight rival.
    So Toon boss Eddie Howe might consider trying to buy one or more of the four fringe Blues he admires.
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    Chelsea boss Tuchel said on Sunday: “Nobody is for sale and everybody is for sale.
    “It depends on what the player wants, how bad the player wants it, what we think and who is ready to pay a certain amount of money.”
    Chelsea could yet also see wing-back Cesar Azpilicueta join Barcelona.
    They’ve already lost key centre-back Antonio Rudiger, plus Andreas Christensen, Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku.
    The replacements have been far costlier, in Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly. More

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    Cristiano Ronaldo ticks all the boxes for Chelsea, says Paul Merson, who urges Thomas Tuchel to make transfer move

    CHELSEA should sign Cristiano Ronaldo because he “ticks all of their boxes”, according to former Arsenal star Paul Merson.The Portuguese superstar, 37, has made it clear his desire to leave Old Trafford in search of Champions League football.
    Ronaldo has made it clear his desire to leave Old Trafford this summerCredit: Reuters
    Merson does not understand why Chelsea do not sign RonaldoCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    But he has struggled to find a club to take him, with the likes of Bayern Munich ruling themselves out of a move.
    Chelsea had been heavily linked with the Real Madrid legend, but last month they too ruled themselves out of a deal.
    It is something Merson cannot wrap his head around, particularly following their 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Sunday.
    The Blues dominated their London rivals but failed to take their chances and were undone by a stoppage-time equaliser.
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    Speaking to Sky Sports, Merson said: “I cannot believe they didn’t or haven’t gone in for Cristiano Ronaldo. He just ticks all of the boxes Chelsea are lacking.
    “Playing for Chelsea is not like playing for Manchester United, who are working from the halfway line.
    “Chelsea are on the edge of the box, dominating games.
    “Chelsea have unbelievable wing-backs, they dominate football matches, if they were putting the ball into the box for Ronaldo I would dread to think how many goals he could score.”
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    Chelsea are keen to replace Romelu Lukaku this summer and have been linked with a move for Barcelona star Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
    However, it was reported on Monday that the former Arsenal man is happy to stay at the Nou Camp.
    Meanwhile, Ronaldo’s future remains up in the air despite United being two games into the new season.
    Erik ten Hag’s side have lost both Prem matches so far – 2-1 to Brighton and 4-0 to Brentford.
    One potential move for Ronaldo remains a return to Sporting Lisbon on loan.
    If he cannot find a transfer before the end of the window then he will be forced to play in the Europa League for the first time in his career. More

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    Chelsea ‘closing in on £12m transfer of Inter Milan wonderkid Cesare Casadei after having two bids rejected’

    CHELSEA are closing in on the £12million transfer of Inter Milan wonderkid Cesare Casadei, according to reports.The Blues have had two offers rejected for the 19-year-old midfielder.
    Cesare Casadei could make a £12m move to Chelsea this weekCredit: Getty
    But the Guardian report they will go back in with a third bid they feel confident should be enough for a player who is still yet to make a senior appearance for cash-strapped Inter.
    And a deal may well get completed as early as this week.
    However, Chelsea face competition from Nice for the rising star’s signature.
    Thomas Tuchel has plenty of options in midfield plus is still chasing Frenkie de Jong.
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    So Casadei could be placed into the development squad or sent back to Serie A on loan.
    The 6ft 1in ace was recently talked up by Italian national team coach Maurizio Viscidi as one to keep an eye on.
    The 62-year-old told Gazzetta dello Sport he was particularly impressed by his attacking qualities in the box – which he rates better than current Italy international Nicola Barella and Davide Frattesi.
    The goalscoring talent notched 16 goals for the Inter youth team from the middle of the park – and was crowned their young player of the year.
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    However, the Italy Under-19 international – who has three goals in ten caps – is yet to make the breakthrough into the senior side at the San Siro under Simone Inzaghi.
    Casadei would be the latest teenager to make the move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
    Highly-rated Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka signed for £20m while goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina, 18, joined from Chicago Fire.
    And the Guardian report adds they still hope to add Palmeiras’ Endrick before the end of the transfer window on September 1. More

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    Man Utd’s £70m transfer offer to Barcelona for Frenkie de Jong EXPIRES in yet another huge blow to Erik ten Hag

    MANCHESTER UNITED have suffered another major blow in their pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.The Red Devils had a £70million offer accepted for the 25-year-old Dutch midfielder last month.
    De Jong has been linked with a move to both Man Utd and ChelseaCredit: AP
    Ten Hag is keen to try and sign De Jong before the end of the windowCredit: Reuters
    But De Jong’s reluctance to move to Old Trafford and Barcelona’s inability to pay him £14.5m in outstanding wages has held up the deal.
    And, according to de Telegraaf podcast Kick Off, United’s offer has now expired.
    This looks set to open the door for Chelsea to complete a deal for the Holland international.
    New Blues owner Todd Boehly had been hoping to hijack the De Jong transfer and is now in a perfect position to do so.
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    Boehly will be optimistic about completing a fourth signing of the summer following the arrivals of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella.
    Meanwhile, Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag is desperate to bring in De Jong after a disastrous start to the season.
    United’s new manager watched his side lose 2-1 to Brighton on the opening weekend.
    And they were then humiliated by Brentford as Ten Hag’s men went down 4-0 before half-time.
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    He has already brought in Tyrell Malacia and Lisandro Martinez this summer – two players he worked with at Ajax.
    And De Jong was also a product of Ten Hag’s management before he joined Barca in 2019.
    However, Barca president Joan Laporta recently claimed both the player and club want De Jong to remain at the Nou Camp.
    Speaking about the ongoing transfer saga, he said: “He is a Barca player of great quality and we want him to stay.
    “He has offers but we want him to stay and he wants to stay too.” More

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    Thomas Tuchel being investigated by the FA after fuming Chelsea boss’ rant about Anthony Taylor

    THOMAS TUCHEL faces an FA investigation after blasting Anthony Taylor’s performance against Tottenham and appearing to claim the referee is biased against Chelsea.The Stamford Bridge boss slated Spurs’ two “ridiculous” levellers in Sunday’s fiery 2-2 draw and insisted all his players worry about Taylor.
    Thomas Tuchel clashed with Spurs chief Antonio Conte and both bosses were sent off following the heated Stamford Bridge stalemateCredit: Alamy
    Anthony Taylor responds to furious Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, who could be in hot water over a later outburst over the refCredit: Reuters
    Football chiefs will look into Tuchel questioning Taylor’s impartiality so blatantly – especially as the German doubled down on his criticism and recommended the ref no longer takes charge of Chelsea games.
    Tuchel and Tottenham counterpart Antonio Conte can expect one-game bans for being sent off after the controversial Premier League match.
    But the ex-PSG chief ramped up his complaints by backing the opinion of Chelsea fans who have set up a petition calling for Taylor to be excluded from their games.
    Asked about supporters’ feelings, Tuchel said: “I don’t think that just some of the fans think that. I can assure you that the whole dressing room of us, every person thinks that.
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    “Not only the fans. You know the players, they know what’s going on when they are on the pitch. They know it.”
    And he repeated the suggestion that his squad doubt Tayor by saying: “Yeah, of course.”
    Tuchel and Tottenham counterpart Antonio Conte will get one-game touchline bans for being sent off at the end of the controversial clash.
    And he more than hinted he thought it was unfair that the managers but not Taylor are being punished.
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    Tuchel said: “So good! I cannot coach but the referee can whistle the next game.”
    Chelsea were staggered that both Spurs’ goals were allowed to stand.
    Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg netted despite the Blues appealing that  Rodrigo Bentancur had fouled Kai Havertz and Richarlison was offside.
    And deep in stoppage time Harry Kane levelled after Taylor looked on from just yards away but let Tottenham defender Cristian Romero pull Marc Cucurella over by the hair.
    Tuchel said: “I cannot understand how the first goal is not offside and I cannot understand since when players can pull other people’s hair and stay on the pitch and attack in the last corner.”
    Chelsea’s unease over Taylor has history.
    He’s given more yellow cards to Blues’ players than any other team.
    And after a 2-0 home loss to Manchester United in February 2020 Chelsea were irate as Harry Maguire was unpunished for a “stamp” Michy Batshuayi.
    Cristian Romero was unpunished by watching ref Anthony Taylor despite pulling Marc Cucurella to the ground by his hair ahead of Harry Kane’s equaliser More