Pochettino in dreamland as huge £111m double Chelsea raid gathers pace; agreement reached on first deal

Chelsea are plotting a colossal double raid on the same club and an ‘agreement in principle’ has been reached on one of the deals, per reports.

Despite needing to trim a bloated squad down to size, the Blues are expected to make a handful of impactful additions this summer.

Indeed, Christopher Nkunku will arrive from RB Leipzig and add a new dimension to a blunt Chelsea attack. Elsewhere, additions are wanted at goalkeeper, central midfield and striker.

Moises Caicedo is the player Chelsea are turning to for the engine room for the second straight window. Competition on that front will come from Arsenal.

However, today’s update regards the goalkeeper and striker hunts, with two reports claiming both positions could be addressed by way of Inter Milan.

Firstly, today’s Transfer Gossip brought news from Italy of Chelsea reaching an ‘agreement in priniciple’ with supreme stopper, Andre Onana.

The 27-year-old has kept the most clean sheets in the Champions League this season (eight) and is only now entering his prime years as a goalkeeper.

Onana was a free agent signing from Ajax just last summer, though with Inter needing to raise funds to conform with FFP, the prospect of quick profit appeals.

TuttoMercatoWeb reported Chelsea have seen a €40m (approx. £34.2m) offer rejected by Inter.

The Champions League finalists reportedly value Onana at €50m (approx. £43m), and a raised Chelsea bid may well produce a different response from Inter.

Pochettino gunning for Lautaro Martinez

Elsewhere, the Times claim Chelsea’s striker search is also leading them to Inter.

Indeed, the newspaper state Argentine frontman, Lautaro Martinez, is fast emerging as a player Chelsea are desperate to sign.

They state the Blues are set to battle Real Madrid for the 25-year-old’s signature this summer. Real themselves are hunting a new frontman after Karim Benzema left for the riches of Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia.

Martinez has scored 28 and assisted 11 for Inter across all competitions this season. However, his impact on a team stretches far beyond simple numbers.

Martinez is an all-action centre-forward and his tireless workrate ensures opposing defenders can never rest while in possession. In essence, he’s the perfect frontman for the energetic and front-foot style Pochettino will implement at Stamford Bridge

The Times add 48-cap Argentina international Martinez ‘is high on [Chelsea’s] list of possible targets’.

New manager Pochettino is labelled a ‘long-term admirer’ of his fellow countryman and reportedly believes Martinez is ‘among the best strikers in the world’.

Martinez will have a chance to prove that view correct in tonight’s Champions League final when Inter aim to derail Man City’s attempt at the treble.

Martinez is understood to be valued around the €80m (approx. £68.5m) mark, meaning a double swoop for he and Onana would set Chelsea back around £111m.

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