Chelsea are reportedly on the brink of securing the transfer of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig, with the deal expected to be finalised in just three days. The Dutch international has been keen to make the move to Stamford Bridge, with talks having been underway since mid-July.
Despite interest from Arsenal and Tottenham once it became apparent that Simons could be leaving Germany, it was Chelsea who actively pursued him. Since then, his focus has solely been on joining the Blues, although this hasn’t prevented him from representing Leipzig.
Simons played the entirety of Leipzig’s final pre-season friendly defeat to Lens earlier this month and also completed another match, helping his side to a 4-2 victory over Sandhausen in the first round of the DFB Pokal.
In that game, Simons provided an assist and scored the final goal with a clever close-range finish following a swift pass and run behind the defence. Leipzig are set to begin their Bundesliga season against reigning champions Bayern Munich on Friday night, and it appears Simons will feature.
“Unless something unexpected happens, the current plan for #Xavi Simons is for him to start for RB Leipzig against FC Bayern in the Bundesliga opener on Friday,” Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg wrote on X.
“After that, the move to Chelsea is set to be completed. The chances of the Chelsea transfer going through remain very high. Xavi only wants #CFC. Personal terms are 100% agreed. RB still waiting for an official offer.”
Chelsea are set to face West Ham United on Friday evening, with just over a week left of the summer transfer window. The Blues, including Simons, are eager to secure three more new signings.
Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho is also being actively pursued, with negotiations ongoing. Enzo Maresca has made it clear that he wants to bring in a new centre-back following Levi Colwill’s serious knee injury.
“When we build, we build with Levi in the middle,” he said. “Last year we played 64 games and we played all 64 games with either Levi or Tosin [Adarabioyo in the middle].
“Now Levi is out. The only other one that he can do that job well is Tosin. But we have Premier League, Champions League, with these kind of players. The rest, they can adapt. [Jorrel] Hato is a new one, he never played as the guy in the middle last season [with Ajax], so it’s not about being a central defender.
“Yes, [he is a] central defender but can he do that? It’s different. Also we have players that unfortunately, like Wes [Fofana] or Benoit [Badiashile], they have in this moment some [injury] problems. The one in the middle in my way is so, so, so important. And this is the reason why I said that the club knows exactly what I think about central defenders.”