Guardian: Chelsea pushes to sign Gittens & Kudus and contacts Brighton to ask Joao Pedro

The Guardian reported that Chelsea is prioritizing the introduction of Dortmund winger Gittens, and also started further negotiations with West Ham United on Kudus and contacted Brighton to ask about Joao Pedro's situation. They are also considering introducing a versatile striker.

Chelsea coach Maresca is determined to sign a right-footed left winger, and the outside world is expected to join Chelsea this summer. This month, Dortmund rejected a £42m offer from Chelsea, which has reached personal terms with the England U21 international, who may make a higher offer. Chelsea have identified Lyon's Malik Fofana as a potential replacement for Gittens, with Dortmund valuing Gittens at £50 million.

After Chelsea decided not to introduce Sancho from Manchester United, Maresca also hoped to get a winger who could cut from the left. The team currently has limited choices on the wing, only Pedro Neto and Maduaike, both of whom are left-footed players. Among them, Chelsea will consider other teams' appropriate offer for Maduaike, especially because another left-footed winger, the 18-year-old Brazilian star Estevan will join from Palmeiras after the Club World Cup.

Chelsea also hopes to introduce a versatile striker so that Maresca can rotate in the European game. Drapp Jr. will compete with Jackson, which means Chelsea doesn't need another traditional No. 9 player. Given that Felix and Nkunku were out of favor and could leave the team, Chelsea sought to share the pressure for Palmer, their first offer for Kudus, who was also the target of Manchester United, Newcastle and another anonymous Premier League club.

Chelsea's discussions with West Ham about Kudus are still continuing, but no formal offer has been made. Chelsea proposed to join player exchange in any transfer, but West Ham United wanted to sell it directly, and the Hammers were also not interested when Manchester United proposed player exchange. Kudus' contract contains a £85 million termination clause, which is valid for Premier League teams in the first 10 days of July. The 24-year-old can play on both sides and the middle, and he is interested in a transfer this summer.

In addition, Chelsea have contacted Brighton to ask about João Pedro, the Brazil international may be sold for £60 million. However, there is no substantial progress yet, and Newcastle is more interested in the Brazilian striker. Chelsea also visited Xavi Simmons and Ekitic of Red Bull Leipzig, but because Frankfurt estimated the latter to be as high as £84 million, Chelsea has not yet advanced, and Manchester United also inspected Ekitic.