Chelsea given green light to sign No.9 Dutch centre-forward and €50m-rated French forward

Newcastle United have been credited with an interest in signing Villarreal attacker Arnaut Danjuma. The Magpies could go head-to-head with fellow PL rivals Chelsea in the battle to capture the Netherlands international.

Formerly of Nijmegen in the Eredivise, Arnaut has taken no time to establish himself as a crucial figure for Villarreal since his move from Bournemouth in August 2021. Danjuma enjoyed a fantastic 2021/22 campaign on an individual level.

The 25-year-old striker netted 16 goals and four assists in 34 games across all tournaments, hitting a remarkable six goals in 11 UCL games as the Yellow Submarine exceeded all expectations by reaching the Champions League semi-finals last campaign.

With 3 goals from 8 games across all boards this campaign, the Dutchman seems ready to play a prominent role for the Spanish side this campaign as well. Of course, his exploits have not gone unnoticed, with some of the most high-profile teams in Europe, including Liverpool and Man United, setting their sights on him this past summer.

Villarreal finished seventh in La Liga last campaign, and only earned qualification for the UEFA Europa Conference League. So, while the Dutch forward could have easily accepted a transfer abroad, he turned down all advances since he sought stability and consistent playing time with the Qatar World Cup just around the corner.

His current contract with La Ceramica will expire in the summer of 2026. Arnaut seems to be the latest name on Chelsea’s agenda, having reached a pre-contract agreement with Nkunku.

Chelsea transfer target and Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele has a €50m release clause valid for next summer. During the summer transfer window, the London giants were interested in signing France international who was out of the deal after his Blaugrana contract expired.

Eventually, Ousmane signed another deal with the Catalan giants, but it’s now being reported that a release clause was included which could see him leave as early as the end of the campaign. Dembele’s release clause in his deal is only €50m and will activate next year, meaning the Blues could secure themselves a bargain.

If the 25-year-old forward can prove his fitness at Camp Nou for a year, after struggling with a few injuries, then it could be the perfect situation for the Blues. However, according to a report, there is a clause in the French winger’s deal at the Spanish club which leaves the door open to an exit.

Signing the Frenchman during the summer may have been seen as a bit of a risk, with the attacker having a fair amount of fitness issues, so if he completes a season with little interruption and finds the sort of form we all know he can produce, then the Blues could swoop in and bring him to Chelsea next summer.

This hands the Blues a lifeline should they look to reignite interest in the former Borussia Dortmund winger. Graham Potter has since replaced Thomas Tuchel at the helm of Stamford Bridge and it stays to be seen whether Dembele is still of interest to the club. There’s a €50m release clause in Ousmane’s contract which is valid for next summer.