Chelsea are pushing ahead with deals to sign Ajax centre-back Jorrel Hato and RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons, according to reports.
RB Leipzig completed an initial €50 million (£41.8m) deal to sign Simons in January after the 22-year-old spent 18 months on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, but the Bundesliga club are now open to selling the 22-year-old after missing out on a place in Europe next season.
Hato, meanwhile, has attracted interest from Arsenal, while the Ajax defender was spotted during a game at Anfield in January, sparking speculation over a possible move to Liverpool.
However, Fabrizio Romano now reports that Chelsea are in the driving seat to sign both Simons and Hato this summer.
Chelsea are understood to be close to agreeing personal terms with Simons after stepping up talks for the Netherlands international this week.
Get personalised updates on Arsenal everyday
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we’ll send you so we can get football news tailored to you.
Meanwhile, Hato is also understood to be keen on a move to Stamford Bridge and Chelsea are now directly negotiating with Ajax over a possible deal for the 19-year-old.
‘Chelsea are working on some targets,’ Romano said on his YouTube channel.
‘For Xavi Simons, Chelsea are advancing very well. Negotiations are under way, negotiations are going well between Xavi Simons and Chelsea with an agreement on personal terms getting closer.
‘At the moment it’s still not done. But any moment could be important to reach an agreement with Xavi Simons after positive contacts.
‘On Monday, Chelsea decided to advance on the player’s side to start discussing contract terms and now Xavi Simons is more than tempted by Chelsea project, keen on a move to Chelsea and they are discussing the numbers.
‘It’s a really, really concrete possibility, now they [Chelsea] are pushing to reach an agreement with the player because Arsenal are still interested, but they have different priorities. Bayern are watching the situation closely but their focus is Luis Diaz from Liverpool.
‘Contacts will also follow with RB Leipzig very soon because RB Leipzig are very interest in Carney Chukwuemeka. Chelsea have stopped negotiations with Borussia Dortmund because they were offering a loan for weeks and weeks, Chelsea said, ‘permanent transfer for Carney or nothing’. And now RB Leipzig are showing interested in the player.
‘Chelsea and Xavi Simons are going very fast, they are trying to reach an agreement with the player as soon as possible.
‘On Chelsea it is important to mention the centre-back also. Chelsea are pushing on a deal to sign Jorrel Hato from Ajax.
‘Chelsea, in the last 24 hours, have made official club-to-club contact with Ajax, starting the negotiation with Jorrel Hato.
‘Chelsea are pushing, the player is keen on a move, he is ready to agree on personal terms, it’s not going to be an issue on the player’s side.’
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
