Chelsea are expected to place their first bid for RB Leipzig attacker Xavi Simons imminently, according to reports.
The Blues opened talks with the Netherlands international earlier this week and received a positive response from Simons regarding a potential summer move to Stamford Bridge.
The 22-year-old is determined to leave RB Leipzig after a dismal season that saw them miss out on European qualification, and the Bundesliga side are ready to sell as long as they make a sizeable profit on their €50 million investment.
Chelsea are thought to be on the verge of agreeing terms with Simons, while they have also formally opened talks with Leipzig to inform them of their willingness to sign the versatile attacker.
Fabrizio Romano states that Chelsea are ‘advancing’ in their discussions with the player and Leipzig, while simultaneously also negotiating a deal for Ajax wonderkid Jorrel Hato.
Chelsea to bid for Simons
Ben Jacobs, meanwhile, reports that Chelsea are fully expected to make their opening offer for Simons soon. It is thought that Leipzig have lowered their initial €80m asking price and will now do business for less than €70m.
Jacobs’ reporting is also corroborated by Florian Plettenberg, who says that Leipzig are expecting a bid to arrive from West London any minute. Chelsea are understood to be keen to get this deal over the line as quickly as possible.
The Blues are aware that Simons has suitors elsewhere, with Arsenal monitoring the situation and Bayern holding a long-standing interest. In fact, the latter are said to have ‘made calls’ earlier today to be informed on the negotiations with Chelsea.
If all goes according to plan, Simons could already be a Chelsea player by the end of the week. That said, Leipzig were also willing to sell Benjamin Sesko to Arsenal – but only on their terms, which ultimately doomed the transfer as their demands were deemed excessive.
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