Burnley closing in on Chelsea's Satpayevpublished at 18:11 BST
18:11 BST
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea winger Dastan Satpayev is close to completing a loan move to Championship club Burnley.
The Kazakhstan international signed a six-year deal, with an option for a further season, on his 18th birthday on Wednesday after pre-agreeing to join Chelsea in January 2025 in a £3.4m move from Kairat FC.
Satpayev has already travelled to Turf Moor and is expected to complete a medical before Burnley host West Ham on Sunday.
It is one of a number of loan moves involving Chelsea this week, with Ryan Kavuma-McQueen joining Portsmouth, Reggie Walsh moving to Wigan Athletic and Shim Mheuka also nearing a move away.
Will Man City meet Chelsea deadline for Fernandez?published at 15:38 BST
15:38 BST
Emlyn Begley BBC Sport journalist
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea set a deadline of Friday at 17:00 BST for offers for Manchester City target Enzo Fernandez, who they value at £120m.
The potential move would see the Argentina midfielder link up again with new City boss Enzo Maresca, who was formerly his manager at Chelsea.
A potential deal for Fernandez relies on City selling Rodri, officially the best player at the 2026 World Cup among numerous other accolades, to Barcelona. City are not planning to sign Fernandez if he stays.
The defensive midfielder has been a crucial part of City's success in recent years, helping them win the 2022-23 Treble - including scoring the winner in the Champions League final against Inter Milan.
The 30-year-old has played 298 times, lifting a total of four league titles, plus several cups - and winning the Ballon d'Or.
Rodri wants to return to his native Spain and join Barcelona - with Real Madrid having dropped out of the chase - and City are asking for 80m euros (£68.4m).
But Barca's opening bid for a player out of contract next summer was only £38.5m.
BBC Sport's chief football news reporter Simon Stone says the Rodri and Fernandez deals happening are dependent on each other - but do not need to go through at the same time.
If City knew Rodri was going it would enable them to make a bid for Fernandez.
And it is possible he could even sign before Rodri is ready to play again after a minor back procedure.
Maresca is clearly a huge fan of Fernandez, having made him Chelsea captain when Reece James was injured.
And he played the Argentine in 79 of his 92 games in charge.
Fernandez is by nature a defensive midfielder - but Maresca played him further forward many times last season when Cole Palmer was injured - leading to him scoring a career-best 15 goals.
That means there are several places Fernandez could fit into Maresca's City team.
Chelsea's Kellyman in talks to join Strasbourgpublished at 14:03 BST
14:03 BST
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea are in talks with Strasbourg over a permanent move for Omari Kellyman.
The 20-year-old remains highly regarded at Stamford Bridge, but a transfer that includes a buy-back clause is being viewed as a way to aid his development after an injury-hit period following his £19m move from Aston Villa in 2024.
Kellyman completed last season on loan at Cardiff City without injury, but his minutes had to be carefully managed after a series of hamstring problems since leaving Villa Park.
Strasbourg, also owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital through parent company BlueCo, are seen as a club where Kellyman can take the next step in his development after a series of setbacks.
It would be the latest of more than a dozen moves between the clubs since BlueCo bought Strasbourg in 2023, a year after acquiring Chelsea.
What does the future hold for Fofana?published at 09:27 BST
09:27 BST
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Xabi Alonso has picked his strongest XI for three of his five matches during pre-season, and all three featured Wesley Fofana.
However, Chelsea have signed Maxence Lacroix and have nine centre-backs on their books. In addition, the club also has a group of players it considers "untouchable", meaning they are not for sale - but Fofana does not feature on that list.
When this was put to Fofana, he replied: "Yes we have a lot, I think there are nine or 10. Everyone needs to be good, to train well and after the manager takes the decision. It's like this for everyone.
"Maybe some guys will leave, others will come again. For myself, it is about training well, trying to be fit and we will see what the manager does. If the club tells me they don't need me anymore, it is like this. Of course I will be sad, but this is football. You can't say 'I have my place and I am sure to play'."
It seems unlikely Fofana will leave and, indeed, he wants to stay and believes in a positive future for Chelsea.
He is among the players who have been convinced by assurances from the sporting directors and board about a change of direction, embodied by the signings of senior players Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck.
Fofana says the duo, aged 36 and 35 respectively, "know how to win big games", will be "important in training sessions" and may give one or two players "a kicking" if they are slacking.
However, he believes managerial stability under Alonso will define whether Chelsea succeed or not.
"I think everyone knows we need stability," he adds. "We talked last season with the directors and they said the same thing. They think the same way as the players. We need stability."
Badiashile to join Napoli on loanpublished at 21:59 BST 13 August
21:59 BST 13 August
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea have accepted a loan offer from Napoli for defender Benoit Badiashile, with an option to buy.
The two-time France international, 25, has permission to travel to Italy to complete a move worth an initial £2.6m loan fee, with a potential £850,000 in add-ons.
In addition, the Serie A club will have the option to buy Badiashile for £23.1m next summer.
The deal represents a compromise on the £30m asking price set by Chelsea earlier in this transfer window.
However, the centre-back has been earmarked for a sale throughout the summer after struggling to cement his place at Stamford Bridge, and was among the players not training under new manager Xabi Alonso.
Badiashile has suffered a number of injuries since joining Chelsea for £32.7m in 2023.
Fofana on injuries, criticism and calling out abusepublished at 18:08 BST 13 August
18:08 BST 13 August
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Wesley Fofana shed tears, faced criticism for laughing at the wrong moment and exposed racist abuse last season - but now he believes stability will lead to an "amazing" Chelsea future.
The 25-year-old centre-back has been a controversial figure because of the difficulties he has faced since his £75m move from Leicester City in 2022.
However, he is also a survivor. He is the last remaining signing from that summer and, following Marc Cucurella's move to Real Madrid, Chelsea's longest-serving player aside from academy graduate Reece James.
"Football is like this. It moves fast, but it is a good stat," said Fofana. "For me, some years were difficult, but now I'm back. I'm playing, I'm fit."
Fofana is right to be optimistic.
He is young, featured heavily under new manager Xabi Alonso in pre-season, and fit and healthy after injury troubles in recent seasons.
Fofana reiterates it was his "dream" to join Chelsea, the club he supported as a boy growing up in Marseille, through his admiration for the Blues' former striker Didier Drogba.
Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League last season and failed to win a trophy.
Fofana was arguably the fall guy for many supporters, not helped by footage of him laughing on the bench during a heavy Champions League defeat by Paris St-Germain in March.
He said it was not as significant as some made out and that those inside the club "know my mentality", but added: "When the team is not doing well, we need to find someone [to blame]. I can accept that.
"The club bought me for a very big transfer [fee]. I came with the ambition to be the best in my position and to help the team. So, when things go badly, I accept being the guy [people blame]."
Fofana, a Muslim whose father is from Ivory Coast, was racially abused on Instagram last season. He also highlighted abuse in March 2025.
He says it hurts to see those messages, but he will never stop calling it out.
"It is not a big thing to expose people who do that," he said. "For me, it is very important. For me and other players, we need to show what people are saying.
"We need to educate people. I think the people behind Instagram need to work on that. I exposed this on Instagram and Twitter [now called X] because I think they need to be more aware and more conscious of this problem."
Having received such abuse from a young age he is prepared to continue speaking out, even if it leads to criticism of his own character.
Dougie: As a Chelsea fan, the best outcome is we sell Fernandez. He doesn't want to be at the club anymore and we don't want anyone who thinks like that. We have more than enough cover already.
Ausso: If Manchester City actually cough up the £120m asking price we should take the money and run! He's not worth that.
Mike: Get rid of Fernandez, whatever the cost!
Jez: I think he should go - he has not only disgraced himself in the World Cup but has openly looked for a move away from Chelsea. No player is bigger than the club so ship him out.
George: Whether he stays or goes, we win. He stays and we have a world-class proven midfielder, he goes and we get rid of a potential bad apple and replace him with Martin Zubimendi. Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
Bob: The best outcome for the team is that Chelsea stand by their guns and sell only if their valuation is met. The player was happy enough with his wages when he signed for the club, he should stay and play.
Andrew: Fernandez should go, but only if Chelsea get a decent price for him. He's been poorly advised by his agent Javier Pastore who thought he was clever enough to manufacture a move to Real Madrid and now has left his client in a really difficult position. I'd be happy for him to stay a Chelsea, he's still a great player, but firing Pastore may be needed to show that he's committed to the club.
Neev: I want Enzo Fernandez to stay as he was a key part of the team last year, but if he wants to leave, Chelsea should target Fabian Ruiz or Alex Scott.
The Argentina international, 25, has faced uncertainty over his future at Stamford Bridge since March, when he first raised the possibility of a move to Real Madrid.
Around that time, his agent Javier Pastore publicly stated his client was underpaid and wanted to leave following a difficult season in which Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League and ended the campaign without a trophy after losing the FA Cup final to Manchester City.
Real Madrid have since said they have "no intention" of signing Fernandez, leaving the only known potential suitors as Manchester City, whose new boss Enzo Maresca left Chelsea midway through last season.
It remains unclear whether City would be willing to meet the player's valuation, with the Etihad outfit also known to be targeting Lille's Moroccan midfielder Ayoub Bouaddi.
Chelsea have set a deadline of 17:00 BST on Friday for any offers and are expected to stand firm on their £120m price tag, even though they signed him for £107m from Benfica in 2023.
Gossip: Blues in contention to sign Zubimendipublished at 07:23 BST 13 August
07:23 BST 13 August
Arsenal are open to selling Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi for at least £77m, with Chelsea a strong contender to sign the 27-year-old. (Teamtalk), external
How do add-ons work in football transfers?published at 07:16 BST 13 August
07:16 BST 13 August
It is common practice these days for transfer fees to have performance-based add-ons. The theory is the selling club gains more if the player goes on to be extremely successful, while the buying club is to some extent protected financially if the transfer doesn't work out.
In some cases, the total value of add-ons is significant - Real Madrid could end up paying an extra £30m to Borussia Dortmund for Jude Bellingham depending on how successful he is over the course of his career in the Spanish capital, for example.
In others, like the potential £1.7m worth of add-ons Brighton's £29.78m signing of Greece Under-21 forward Charalampos Kostoulas, are less significant.
Clubs sometimes say add-ons are 'easily achievable' or 'difficult'.
Easier-to-achieve add-ons can include things like making a basic number of appearances, or scoring a certain amount of goals. Add-ons can also be attached to a team's success rather than the individual player's - a club may agree to an add-on requiring an extra payment if they qualify for Europe, for example.
Others can be more ambitious - tied to extreme levels of individual or collective success, like winning the Champions League or the Ballon d'Or.
An example of the difficulty add-ons can present when discussing valuations would be the claims made in the Portuguese media in 2022 that the first additional payment in Darwin Nunez's £64m-plus-add-ons move from Benfica to Liverpool was triggered by the Uruguayan making just 10 appearances.
Then Liverpool boss Arne Slot rejected speculation he had not started Nunez in some games because it would trigger an additional payment.
Whether Liverpool paid more for Nunez, or club captain Virgil van Dijk - for whom they paid a flat fee of £75m to Southampton in 2017 - cannot be determined without knowing exactly what add-ons were included in the Nunez deal, then figuring out which conditions he has and has not met.
Chelsea defender Tosin receiving interestpublished at 14:51 BST 12 August
14:51 BST 12 August
Nizaar Kinsella Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Chelsea have received interest from Benfica and at least one other Premier League club in centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo.
The 28-year-old defender has less than two years remaining on his contract and is increasingly likely to leave Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis this summer.
Chelsea have nine senior central defenders and new manager Xabi Alonso has publicly stated he wants to reduce that number to "four or five", with the club not involved in European competition next season.
Tosin was keen to remain in west London but he is open to exploring opportunities elsewhere - and the chance to reunite with his former Fulham boss Marco Silva is understood to be appealing.
However, several options are still being assessed, including the possibility of remaining in English football.
Chelsea regard academy graduates Levi Colwill and Josh Acheampong as untouchable. Maxence Lacroix is expected to play a major role after joining from Crystal Palace for £52m this summer, while Wesley Fofana is also expected to stay.
Other centre-back options, including Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile, are not training with the first-team squad and are available for transfer, while Mamadou Sarr and Aaron Anselmino could leave on loan.
Chavarria's unconventional route to Stamford Bridgepublished at 13:44 BST 12 August
13:44 BST 12 August
Nizaar Kinsella and Elizabeth Conway Chelsea reporter and Spanish football reporter
Image source, Getty Images
Pep Chavarria's path to Stamford Bridge has been anything but conventional.
Unlike many players who reach elite clubs through prestigious academies or early top-flight breakthroughs, Chavarria had to take the longer route.
He did not make his La Liga debut until the age of 24 - an age when many players have already established themselves at the highest level.
Born in Figueres, a city in Catalonia in north-eastern Spain, Chavarria played for his hometown club before moving to Olot, where he built his reputation in Spain's lower tiers.
A move to Real Zaragoza in 2020 gave him his first taste of professional football at a bigger club, and - after two seasons in Spain's second division - he earned the opportunity to step into La Liga with Rayo Vallecano in 2022.
That timing was significant.
Rayo were not expected to compete with Spain's established giants but, under a strong collective structure, they became one of the division's most difficult opponents.
The club's ability to compete against wealthier clubs has repeatedly relied on identifying undervalued players and maximising their strengths - and Chavarria became another example of that model, having joined for less than £2m.
There he developed into a dependable top-flight full-back, combining defensive aggression with the physicality required to succeed in the role.
He made 125 appearances for Rayo and became a regular presence on the left side of defence.
Image source, Getty Images
