Chelsea face German side Bayer Leverkusen in their first pre-season friendly of the summer on August 8.
Enzo Maresca’s side have lifted both the Europa Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup in the past two months, and have added Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Mamaodu Sarr and Joao Pedro to the Italian’s squad.
The Blues defeated Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the Club World Cup in New Jersey earlier this month, and Maresca will want to see his side impress when they face Leverkusen.
In the meantime, it appears that the West London outfit have been handed a boost in their pursuit of a Bundesliga star.
According to Fabrizio Romano, RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons has opened the door to a potential move to Chelsea after direct talks with the club.
Simons has expressed an interest in joining Chelsea (Photo: ANP/Alamy)
The journalist claims that Chelsea are set for talks with their German counterparts over a possible deal, with Simons having given the green light to a possible switch.
Chelsea have already been busy in the transfer market so far this summer, and Romano claims that the West London giants will have to offload members of their current squad first if they are to sign Simons.
The 22-year-old joined Leipzig permanently from Paris Saint-Germain in January, having initially joined on loan in 2023.
In total he has played 76 times for the German side across all competitions, scoring 21 goals and registering 23 assists.
Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal are also said to still be keen on the Netherlands international, however the Gunners are currently focussed on a move for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres and are also looking to offload players.
Simons is under contract until the end of the 2026/27 campaign, but it appears that he could depart the club this summer.