Chelsea’s chances of signing Maignan, Gittens transfer, Simons interest and hard Osimhen reality

The summer transfer window reopens in two days’ time and for Chelsea, we are – once again – set for another extremely busy period behind the scenes.

The Blues have already brought in Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Mamadou Sarr this summer, with the trio included in the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup squad. In an ideal world, however, Mike Maignan and Jamie Gittens would also be jetting off to the United States with the rest of the Chelsea squad.

That of course did not happen, but that does not mean they will not be signed this summer. Bobby Vincent, unsurprisingly, was asked plenty about the aforementioned duo in his Chelsea Q&A session on Friday. Below is a full transcript:

Q: Hugo Ekitike deal. How long will it take and likeliness? Negotiating right now? And Xavi Simons update to Chelsea?

A: On Hugo Ekitike: I’ve heard a deal is unlikely if Frankfurt continue to ask for £85million and refuse to budge on that price. Chelsea want to find value in this summer’s market, so unless they can persuade Frankfurt to lower their price, or alternatively find a structure that suits them, then I would say it is unlikely. However, they are seriously interested in Ekitike despite already having Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson.

As for Xavi Simons, I’ve heard his name mentioned a couple of times this summer as a potential option but nothing absolutely concrete yet. He is someone who has cropped up in the past as well, so there is definite interest there.

Q: Update on Mykhailo Mudryk?

A: Unfortunately, I’ve got nothing on this one. As you will understand it is a very sensitive situation so getting any sort of information on it has been very difficult.

Q: What other goalkeepers are Chelsea deeply interested in? Will Robert Sanchez stay next season?

A: Mike Maignan and James Trafford are the only names I’ve heard thus far in terms of goalkeepers. There is a genuine interest in both and I still have a feeling Chelsea will revisit the Maignan situation later in the summer. As for Sanchez, I think he will leave should someone new come in, but if not, he may well stick around for another season at the very least.

Q: Are Chelsea really interested in Nick Woltemade?

A: Unfortunately I’ve not heard anything on him. However, there are so many names the Blues are interested in and have on their radar, so it is not one to rule out.

Q: Will Chelsea go back for Mike Maignan if they sell Robert Sanchez and Djordje Petrovic?

A: I very much believe the Maignan ship has not yet sailed. He made it clear to AC Milan that he wants to join Chelsea. Unless there is some drastic u-turn regarding his contract, then he will be up for sale this summer. Chelsea know this and that is why they refused to cough up what Milan were demanding for the goalkeeper. It really would not shock me if Chelsea were to end up signing Maignan.

Q: Are Chelsea interested in Mohammed Kudus?

A: He is clearly a player they like, and have done before he signed for West Ham United and was at Ajax. However, he was offered to Chelsea recently and I’ve heard nothing on their response, so it would appear there is not an immediate need/desire to sign him.

Q: Is Victor Osimhen still a possibility? Let’s say for argument sake, Nicolas Jackson gets us a bid from unknown club for £50million, is it possible we use that money to go back in for Osimhen, or has that ship fully sailed?

A: He’s certainly still someone on Chelsea’s radar. Whether or not that means they make a move is a different question. I would say, though, that it is very unlikely because of his salary demands – the very reason Chelsea did not sign him last summer. As for Nicolas Jackson, I don’t see him leaving. All the noise from sources suggest Chelsea are very pleased with the progress and development of the striker.

Q: What is the centre-back situation? Any names?

A: Plenty of names on the club’s radar. Jorrel Hato is one of them, yes, but also the likes of Murillo, Jarrad Branthwaite, Marc Guehi and Tomas Araujo.

Q: If Chelsea do not sign Hugo Ekitike, are there alternative targets?

A: Difficult one. I do not think there is any rush to go out and sign another striker given Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson are the options. At the moment, all the noise is around Hugo Ekitike and I haven’t heard much on alternatives to the Frenchman.

Q: What’s the latest on the winger situation?

A: Jamie Gittens is of course the main target. Alejandro Garnacho is someone the club like as well. Nico Williams, too, but his wage demands are too high for Chelsea at the moment. I expect the Gittens deal to get done later in the window.

Q: Could we see Mike Maignan in a Chelsea shirt by August 16th and what are the chances you think he’ll sign?

A: I believe we could, yes. Chelsea know Milan may be more tempted to sell the longer the window goes on. He has 12 months remaining on his deal and if he does not extend, then this will be their last opportunity to get any sort of fee for the goalkeeper.

Q: Late in the season, Robert Sanchez seemed to go long on purpose — perhaps under Enzo Maresca’s instruction to skip short build-up. With that in mind, does the current interest and situation in Mike Maignan suggest that if they can’t get a ball-playing keeper, Maresca is willing to sacrifice parts of his build-up approach?

A: A good question. Potentially and one I cannot answer for absolute certain. What I would say is Maresca is absolutely sure of his style and I can’t see him changing anytime soon. If Maignan was to be signed, then I think we would still see build-up from the back but perhaps a more direct style in certain games. In my opinion, that should be the case anyway, but we saw for the majority of last season Chelsea being very one-dimensional in that sense.

Q: Why are we getting rid of Djordje Petrovic when he is our best goalkeeper?

A: Petrovic wants to be No.1. Chelsea cannot guarantee him that position it seems.