Chelsea have moved nearer to pulling off a shock deal from the clutches of Saudi aspect Al-Ittihad, regardless of the end of the summer time transfer window in the English Premier League.
French web site “Foot Mercato” report that Chelsea have made contact with Dutchman Georginio Wijnaldum, the former Liverpool midfielder, with a view to signing him in the present summer time window.
The shock transfer stems from the disaster the Blues suffered in the ultimate hours of the window yesterday, after agreeing to promote their Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City.
Chelsea had struck a take care of Monaco for Senegalese midfielder Lamine Camara to interchange Fernandez. Then the French membership pulled a surprising U-turn after promoting American striker Folarin Balogun to Everton.
According to the French web site, the London membership need a free-agent midfielder, since his registration is permitted after the window has shut. Wijnaldum leads the discipline for the position proper now.
His identify has been linked with Al-Ittihad after three seasons in the Saudi Roshn League. He spent them with Al-Ettifaq, who launched him when his contract expired at the end of final season.
Should Chelsea land the 35-year-old, he would return to the English Premier League 5 years after leaving Liverpool for Paris Saint-Germain in the summer time of 2021.
A reunion with England’s Jordan Henderson would comply with too. The pair performed collectively at Liverpool between 2016 and 2021, then once more at Al-Ettifaq throughout the first half of the 2023-2024 season.
Al-Ittihad, in the meantime, are linked with a number of different midfielders who might exchange Wijnaldum ought to they miss out, most notably Colombia’s Richard Rios of Benfica.