Chelsea have grown increasingly tempted to step up their interest in Xavi Simons, sensing an opportunity as rival clubs hesitate in the race for one of Europe’s brightest young talents.
RB Leipzig attacker Simons, 22, has been touted around this summer with interest from several top clubs. His camp had been holding out hope that a move to Barcelona might materialise, but chances have faded amid the club’s ongoing financial constraints and priorities.
Bayern Munich have held an interest too, but that potential deal is yet to progress so Chelsea have begun to weigh up a move.
Sources suggest fresh contact is possible this week, with Chelsea tempted to capitalise on an opportunity in the market.
Leipzig are actively looking to offload him and have identified the Premier League as the best route to securing a strong fee.
Chelsea have been made aware of this over recent weeks but have not yet committed to a bid. Simons is currently valued at around €70 million, but Chelsea wonder if there may be scope to negotiate.
Xavi Simons' offensive statistics from the previous season.Opta by StatsPerform
One of the key focuses of their strategy in this transfer window is to ensure they are securing good value in every deal, and this could be one such opportunity.
Chelsea have looked at several players in the past week, including Alejandro Garnacho, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze. Nothing is being totally discounted at this stage, but what makes this particularly intriguing from Chelsea’s side is Simons’ eagerness to play in England.
He wants to test himself in the Premier League and is believed to have a preference for a move to London.
Arsenal and Manchester City have both conducted background work on Simons since the end of last season but have not pushed beyond exploratory talks. Arsenal, however, are not completely out of the running. Despite no progress since their initial approach over a month ago, the Gunners remain admirers and are still keeping tabs on developments.
Xavi Simons' attacking carries in the Bundesliga.Opta by StatsPerform.
Meanwhile, German giants Bayern Munich are also being linked with Simons, and the interest is genuine. As of the weekend, though, they had not made any concrete move to sign him. Their focus has instead been on other attacking options, namely Liverpool’s Luis Diaz and Lyon’s Malick Fofana, who have been higher on the shortlist.
A key factor that could accelerate Chelsea’s interest in Simons is the future of Nicolas Jackson.
The striker is being monitored by Manchester United, who may move for him if they can agree on a reasonable fee.
Should Jackson depart, Chelsea would look to reinforce their front line, and Simons has become a more prominent name in internal discussions.