Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Leicester City midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall for a fee in the region of £30m.
Dewsbury-Hall, set to reunite with Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge, is due to undergo a medical before signing a six-year contract. The 25-year-old was a key player for Maresca last season and is seen as an ideal fit for Chelsea’s style of play.
There had been discussions about including players as part of the deal for Dewsbury-Hall, who was initially expected to join Brighton before Chelsea entered the race. However, Leicester will instead look to sign 18-year-old midfielder Michael Golding once the deal is completed.
Chelsea, who may sell Albania forward Armando Broja to Everton, already have a plethora of midfield options, including Conor Gallagher, Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández, Roméo Lavia, Lesley Ugochukwu, Andrey Santos, and Carney Chukwuemeka. Gallagher’s contract expires in 12 months, and he has attracted interest from Aston Villa and Tottenham.
The fact that Dewsbury-Hall is left-footed appeals to Chelsea. He scored 12 goals last season and played a crucial role in Leicester’s Championship-winning campaign.
However, Leicester have since lost Maresca to Chelsea and face the risk of a points deduction due to a breach of the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules. The money received for Dewsbury-Hall will be pure profit as he is a product of Leicester’s academy.
Chelsea have also been working to offload players before Sunday night’s accounting deadline. Broja is up for sale and has garnered strong interest from Everton, although there is still work to be done on that deal. Milan, Bologna, and Wolves are also monitoring the forward.
The acquisition of Dewsbury-Hall highlights Chelsea’s strategic moves in the transfer market as they look to strengthen their squad for the upcoming season. Fans will be eager to see how Dewsbury-Hall integrates into the team and contributes to Chelsea’s ambitions both domestically and in Europe.