Chelsea told Galatasaray ‘want multiple players’ after London transfer talks

Galatasaray boss Okan Buruk has confirmed the Turkish giants are interested in signing multiple Chelsea players this summer as Mauricio Pochettino seeks to clear the decks upon arrival at Stamford Bridge. Having splashed over £600million on new arrivals in the past two transfer windows, the big-spending Blues remain one of 19 teams on UEFA’s Financial Fair Play watchlist, meaning they are currently unable to continue spending freely.

Departures will now prove integral to Pochettino’s spending power and in a major boost for the Chelsea hierarchy, Galatasaray could now offer them a helping hand.

Super Lig-winning boss Buruk said on Tuesday on Turkish television show TV100: “We have a lot of players that we want from Chelsea.”

Galatasaray vice-president Erden Timur was in London last month to meet with several Premier League clubs – including Chelsea – to discuss potential signings and sales ahead of the transfer window which opens on Wednesday, June 14.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is understood to have been one of the key players of interest as Chelsea bid to offload the Gabon international forward, who arrived from Barcelona last summer in a £10m deal that also included Marcos Alonso.

Aubameyang was cut from Chelsea’s revised Champions League squad in January by Graham Potter and he now looks set to leave west London after an miserable campaign that saw him score just three goals in 21 appearances in all competitions.

Galatasaray are waiting for an update on the future of PSG striker Mauro Icardi, who scored 22 Super Lig goals in 24 games during his eye-catching loan spell in Istanbul. The Argentina international already has a big offer on the table from the Middle East.

Turkish reports suggest Christian Pulisic is also a target of interest for Galatasaray with Chelsea keen to recoup maximum funds for the USMNT international winger, who cost the Blues £58million in January 2019.

Pulisic is expected to be out of Galatasaray’s financial reach while Aubameyang is far more affordable given he is approaching the final year of his contract.

The former Arsenal captain is also of interest to four clubs in Saudi Arabia plus LAFC, Fenerbahce and Barcelona where he previously enjoyed a six-month stint prior to his move to Chelsea.

Elsewhere, Chelsea are also set to meet with Inter Milan to discuss the future of Romelu Lukaku.

Lukaku, who is a transfer target for Saudi giants Al Hilal, is open to joining Inter on a permanent transfer following his loan spell with the Champions League finalists this season.

Inter also hold an interest in defender Trevoh Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, whose transfer to rivals AC Milan appears to have stalled.

Chelsea are also set to discuss the signing of Andre Onana who has quickly emerged as their top goalkeeper target.

Onana has made it clear he is happy at Inter but the Italian giants could be forced to sell if their £40m valuation is met.

N’Golo Kante is set to join Saudi champions Al-Ittihad when his Chelsea contract expires at the end of the month.

Mateo Kovacic has also agreed personal terms with Manchester City, who are now set to discuss a fee with the Blues.

Hakim Ziyech is also a target for Al-Nassr with the Moroccan expected to depart Stamford Bridge this summer.