Fabrizio Romano names Chelsea’s “priority target” this summer, calms down new winger rumours | OneFootball

Chelsea are not trying to hide their plans for this summer. Manager Enzo Maresca even came out and said it in his press conference. With Jadon Sancho back at Manchester United and Mykhailo Mudryk’s doping ban seemingly set to rule him out for a long time, another option on the wing is a major need.

News has come out this evening from L’Equipe that the Blues have made a “verbal enquiry” for Malick Fofana, with top transfer insider David Ornstein backing that up.

We’re not sure what that entails exactly – by the sounds of things that is just “asking how much he would cost.”

Fabrizio Romano, not one to be left out of any transfer scoop, has added some details of his own to the equation.

Chelsea keep Gittens as priority target

Fabrizio Romano’s quote on Jamie Gittens.

While not exactly pouring cold water on the idea, Romano is certainly less enthusiastic than some others. He says while we have made an “inquiry” for Fofana and are in “direct contact” with his club; there has been “no proposal at this stage.”

He insists that Jamie Gittens is still considered out “priority target”, with further talks with Dortmund to come after we agreed personal terms with the player.

Chelsea try to show Dortmund they’ve got other options

This all smells like a classic negotiation tactic to us. We’ve always believed that Gittens is choice number one, and leaking details about bids for other players is a way of showing that we have other irons in the fire and won’t be held to ransom over one name, no matter how keen on them we are.

Dortmund probably won’t be fooled either, and we will see how things develop once the Club World Cup is over and negotiations really start to fire up again.