Chelsea in Xavi Simons talks as Fabrizio Romano gives verdict on €70m deal

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano is convinced that RB Leipzig attacker Xavi Simons will be on the move ‘soon’ amid interest from Arsenal and talks with Chelsea.

The Dutchman has handed in a transfer request at RB Leipzig after the German side missed out on European qualification for the first time since their promotion to the Bundesliga in 2016.

Simons spent 18 months on loan with the Red Bulls before they broke the bank in January to make his stay permanent. However, he only signed a contract until 2027, which was a clear sign that he would not remain with the club long-term.

Leipzig headed into the summer window demanding north of €80 million after investing €50m plus €30m in potential bonuses. Due to the player’s poor form last term, this always seemed fanciful, and their stance has now softened significantly given that not all add-ons have been triggered.

Fabrizio Romano reports that Simons will now cost less than €70m, while Sky Germany posits that Leipzig could even be willing to consider a fixed fee of as low as €50m-€60m.

Romano: Simons deal to develop soon

Romano recently revealed that Arsenal and Chelsea both hold an interest in Simons, and he expects this deal to ‘develop soon’

Similarly, reporter Florian Plettenberg has disclosed that Simons is pushing to leave Leipzig ‘immediately.’ He told Sky Sports: “Xavi Simons is a player who has made clear internally that he wants to leave the club immediately.

“He doesn’t want to play for RB Leipzig next season. And right now, there’s a lot of movement in the market. His brother is representing him, and they also get support from Epic. Epic is a very, very big agency, with many big connections in the Premier League.

“To my understanding, they are looking for possible interests in the Premier League. So let’s see if there will be movement with Chelsea, or, for example, with Arsenal.

“Right now, because he was also linked to Bayern, I cannot confirm that Bayern is pushing for Simons, maybe later in the transfer window, but not right now. We are convinced that he can leave RB Leipzig in the range of €50m, €60m, €65m.”

Plettenberg later added on his X account that Chelsea have actually already held talks with Simons’ camp to discuss the feasibility of a move. Should they feel a transfer is possible, the Blues could look to start negotiations with RB Leipzig as they are currently his ‘most concrete’ suitors.

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