Arsenal told to submit bid for £100m lethal striker to win title as Chelsea set to cash in on £44m ace
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Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has delivered a brutal message to Blues star Ben Chilwell after claiming the England star may need to leave Stamford Bridge.
Chilwell joined Chelsea from Leicester City in a £44m deal during the summer of 2020 and has gone on to make over 100 appearances for the Blues over the last four seasons. However, hamstring and knee injuries limited the former Foxes star to just 21 appearances in all competitions last season and just 13 of them came as part of a starting lineup. The defender has not trained in recent days and is highly unlikely to appear in Sunday’s home clash with Manchester City.
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Hide AdMaresca gave an open and honest assessment of Chilwell’s current position ahead of the game and stressed the England star ‘struggles’ to find his best position within his side.
The Blues boss said: "Chilly (Chilwell) has not been training for the last few days because he has been ill. It's quite clear, I love the way he is but the problem is that he struggles with us a little bit to find his best position.
This morning we had 22 players training, and if you ask all of them they will say they want to play against City on Sunday but that is impossible. When they train every day and do not get any minutes, it is not good for them or for me, (as) I need to make a decision. It is probably better to leave and get minutes (elsewhere). The transfer window is open so we'll see what happens."
The 3AM Verdict: There probably isn’t a lot to add to Maresca’s comments but it seems all too clear Chilwell’s time at Stamford Bridge is all but over. From the player’s point of view, he will have a number of admirers and should have little issue in finding a club before the transfer window comes to a close later this month.
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Hide AdArsenal told to ‘break the bank’ for Newcastle United star
A move for Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak would be enough to help Arsenal see off Manchester City and become Premier League champions for the first time in two decades.
That was the verdict of former Gunners star Paul Merson as he assessed what business his old club need to conclude during the remainder of the summer transfer window. Mikel Arteta has already completed the permanent signing of Brentford keeper David Raya and Italy international defender Riccardo Calafiori since the end of last season and is believed to be closing on a deal for Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino just weeks after he helped Spain to their Euro 2024 Final victory over England.


However, a striker is also said to be high on the agenda for Arteta and the Gunners have been linked with moves for a number of attacking players across Europe in recent months. Merson believes the answer to his former club’s number nine issues lies at Newcastle and he believes a move for Sweden international Isak would ensure Arsenal become Premier League champions this season.
He said: “Newcastle have done well to keep Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes, at the moment,” Merson said. If I was a Chelsea or an Arsenal, I’d be breaking the bank for Isak. If Chelsea got Isak, they’d be certainty for a top-four finish. If Arsenal got him, they’d win the league.”
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Hide AdThe 3AM Verdict: Merson is probably correct in his assumption the addition of Isak would lift Arsenal to another level but it seems unlikely the striker will be allowed to leave Newcastle over the coming weeks or months. Even if the Magpies were persuaded into a sale, it would take a fee in excess of £100m to make any deal come to fruition.
Jordan delivers strong message over Newcastle interest
Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan believes Newcastle United should pay what his old club want if they want to secure the signing of Marc Guehi.
The Magpies returned with a fourth offer for the England centre-back on Friday after three previous offers were rebuffed by the Eagles over the last month. However, current Palace chairman Steve Parish is remaining firm in his stance Newcastle will have to pay ‘superstar money’ before a deal will be authorised - and Jordan has insisted the Selhurst Park supremo is right to demand a big fee for a defender he believes is one of the best in English football.
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Speaking on talkSPORT, Jordan said: “Palace are within their rights to push this as high as they possibly can and they’ve got benchmarks to look at. Newcastle, regardless of Financial Fair Play, have got a licence to print money with who their ownership is so pay the price, you want the best centre-half or one of the best centre-halves in English football, pay what Crystal Palace want. (Crystal Palace) have sold Michael Olise so they’ve got money there, they’ve got a centre-half and a manager that they believe they can build around, why would they sell him? Parish said the offers they were getting were not compelling enough.”
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Hide AdThe 3AM Verdict: It is a seller’s market at the moment and after the sale of Olise, Palace can demand as much as they want for Guehi. Every player has a price but at the moment Newcastle have not met that fee and may well look at other options over the coming weeks.
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