Chelsea have been urged to pull out of their deal for £61m transfer target Xavi Simons.
The Blues are in advanced talks with RB Leipzig after agreeing personal terms with Netherlands attacker Simons.
With Leipzig demanding around 70m euros for Simons, 22, Chelsea are currently working on player sales to raise funds for the deal.
The Blues have already sold Joao Felix to Al Nassr for £43.7m and raised over £50m through the sale of Noni Madueke to Arsenal.
Simons, who can play as a No. 10 or on the left wing, has made 76 appearances for Leipzig over the past two seasons and has 28 caps for Netherlands.
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Chelsea have high hopes for Simons but former Premier League forward Jan Age Fjørtoft has major reservations about the deal and says he could be ‘another Nkunku’.
Christopher Nkunku has been put up for sale this summer after another disappointing season at Stamford Bridge.
Like Simons, the France international impressed at RB Leipzig before his £52m move to west London in 2023.
Discussing Chelsea’s pursuit of Simons, Fjørtoft told ESPN: ‘You have to say to them, they’re fair to their kind of plan. They have a defined kind of player they want to get in.
‘But we now see they’re being linked to Xavi Simons. I mean, that is Nkunku again, isn’t it?
‘There is something about their transfer strategy. I understand going for the big player and the biggest talents.
‘But look at Joao Felix, when did he last have five or six games where he played well? He’s one of those floaters who just float around the big clubs.
‘Chelsea are truthful to their transfer strategy but I’m not sure they need to take the number of players they do. Go for the big ones but I don’t understand why they have to go for so many.
‘It’s a bit unfair on young players because these days we need them to be good straightaway. Back in our days this would be a young kid who would take his time and prove to be good, now we want him to be the finished article.
‘I’m not sure Xavi Simons will take the next step or do Chelsea better. You just get a feeling that want these kind of personalities because there’s so many players like him at Chelsea.
‘He’s a brilliant player but is he able to take the next step up? He’s been linked with Bayern Munich and different clubs but will he take the next step? And don’t they have that type of player already?
‘There’s players that are now world-class who were on loan a few years ago so you never know about these players but there’s something about Simons’ temperament that I’m not 100% convinced of.
‘Is he the guy who can go from being a good player and turn himself into a great player? You see that potential in some players but I’m not sure about Xavi Simons.’
While Chelsea pursue Simons, they have also made a bid for Ajax defender Jorrel Hato.
The Netherlands star is valued at around £43m by Ajax and Norwegian football hero Fjørtoft has suggested he could be a shrewd signing.
‘They say he’s the biggest talent in Europe in terms of defence,’ Fjørtoft added. ‘He’s only 19 and he’s already played over 100 games for Ajax.
‘They say his weakness is the aerial duals because he’s not that tall. But in Holland they say he’s one of the biggest defensive talent they’ve had for many, many years so I get why Chelsea are interested.
‘They say this defender is the next big thing so hopefully we see him in the Premier League.’
Chelsea’s biggest signings so far this summer have been Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap.
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