Todd Boehly, Chelsea's new owner, has identified the first player he wants to recruit for the club. According to Mundo Deportivo, Chelsea want to make Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele their first signing of the Boehly era. Dembele's contract with Barcelona expires next month, and he has a slew of suitors, including Liverpool, PSG, and Manchester United.
Barcelona have a limited chance of agreeing to a new contract with Dembele, but theirprecarious financial situation makes that improbable, and Chelsea are now in a position to seize the opportunity.
Dembele was on the verge of quitting Barcelona in January before making a spectacular late U-turn and playinga major role in the team's turnaround under Xavi, which helped them qualify for the Champions League.
Chelsea, on the other hand, are 'quietly optimistic' about luring the France international away from PSG and others this summer.
After operating under a special licence from the UK government since previous owner Roman Abramovich was sanctioned in March, the Blues are ready to conduct business again, with Boehly's£4. 25 billion takeover set to be completed on Monday.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel wants to strengthen in a number of areas this summer, but with questionsaboutthe futures of Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Christian Pulisic, offensive reinforcements are at the top of the list. During their time at Borussia Dortmund, Tuchel and Dembele collaborated.
