Sarri summit, Triggering Manolas clause, Cesc’s secrets – Chelsea report
We’ve had ‘hot days’, we’ve had promised announcements ‘within 48 hours’, but now we have a ‘breakthrough summit’ for Maurizio Sarri’s move to Chelsea today, this according to Alfredo Pedulla, who is a reporter for large Italian TV station Sport Italia.
Pedulla has been at the forefront reporting all the latest details on the Sarri to Chelsea deal, and he has often reported the deal being very close over the last few weeks. He hasn’t been the only one though, the general consensus amongst the Italian and many British tabloids is that Sarri will join Chelsea, and Antonio Conte will be sacked, its just a matter of when.
But over night, the Italian has reported through his broken English, that has been translated as Chelsea and Sarri have a breakthrough meeting on Friday. So we’ll see how that one pans out.
I’ve been told that the deal to bring Sarri to Stamford Bridge is ‘all but done’, they are merely sorting out the finer details of the Conte pay off, with legalities holding it up. I had expected their to be an announcement by the weekend this week. Some are now saying next week. This is information that is impossible to obtain and these will always be estimated guesses by reporters, but we know that it’s fully expected to happen. The blues return to pre-season training on July the 2nd, so all the finer details need to be completed as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, the Italian press have also stated that Chelsea have expressed a desire to trigger the release clause of Roma defender Kostas Manolas.
The 27-year old Greek international has a reported 38 million euro release clause. Chelsea are reportedly in talks and are set to offer the player a 5 million euros a year deal to come to London.
Finally, I reckon our old friend Cesc Fabregas may well have had a few celebratory beers in Moscow last night, off the back of finishing his last shift of a successful stint being a pundit on the BBC’s world cup show.
He tweeted in the early hours of the morning, asking his fans whether they can keep a secret. That was followed up with another tweet simply saying ‘so can i’.
Now does the Chelsea midfielder know something that we don’t? Is he hinting that Sarri is set to be announced? Or is he just playing a tipsy game of internet fishing? Who knows…
I expect to hear things very soon, including a new director of football, Gianfranco Zola returning as Sarri’s number two, and then solid progression on signing players, as July 2nd fast approaches.