Chelsea have made a bid for the transfer of Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, and Fabrizio Romano expects this deal is likely to go through for around €25-26million.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for the latest edition of his Daily Briefing column, Romano explained that Jorgensen is likely to come in and compete with current Chelsea number one goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Enzo Maresca, Chelsea’s new manager, seems key to this deal as he’s eager for the west London giants to bring in a new ‘keeper with really good ball distribution as a key quality, as this is something he really values as part of his tactical plan.
Maresca did an impressive job at Leicester City last season, but Chelsea will be an entirely new challenge, and so it’s vital that he gets the players he wants in the transfer market.
According to Romano, it looks like Jorgensen could well be on his way to strengthen Maresca’s Chelsea squad, with a €20m bid made so far, while Villarreal will probably hold out for slightly above that.
Jorgensen transfer: Update on Chelsea bid for new goalkeeper
“Chelsea had an important day yesterday as they submitted an official bid to Villarreal for goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen,” Romano said.
“The Danish goalkeeper has a release clause of €45m, but Chelsea offered €20m, and they have a feeling internally that a deal could be done for something like €25-26m.
“Negotiations are ongoing, but the feeling is positive as Jorgensen already agreed on personal terms with Chelsea – salary, length of contract, everything is okay.
“An important detail is that Jorgensen is considered one of the best goalkeepers around in terms of his distribution skills, and as I’ve reported, that’s an important skill Chelsea have been looking for as it’s really appreciated by Enzo Maresca.
“So, it’s a work in progress, but Chelsea have entered the race strongly. The deal looks likely, and I’d expect Jorgensen to compete with Robert Sanchez for the number one spot. Ultimately it will be up to Maresca so we’ll have to see, but we know he values goalkeepers with good distribution like Jorgensen.”