Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues not eyeing English ace; club suffer Romelu Lukaku blow, and more - August 23, 2024

Chelsea secured a 2-0 win over Servette at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, August 22, in the UEFA Europe Conference League play-off first leg. Goals from Christopher Nkunku and Noni Madueke gave Enzo Maresca his first win since taking charge of the club.

Meanwhile, the Blues are not interested in Brentford striker Ivan Toney this summer. Elsewhere, the London giants have suffered a setback in their efforts to offload striker Romelu Lukaku this year.

On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on August 23, 2024:

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Chelsea not eyeing Ivan Toney, says journalist

Ivan Toney

Chelsea are not considering a move for Ivan Toney this summer, according to transfer insider Ben Jacobs. The English striker is in the final year of his contract with Brentford and is expected to be on his way this year.

The Blues are looking for a new No. 9 at the moment and have been linked with Toney in the past. The 28-year-old is proven in the Premier League and could hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge.

However, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jacobs said that Toney isn't on Enzo Maresca's radar at the moment.

"It would be a U-turn if Chelsea did bid for Ivan Toney, because it has always been indicated by sources that he's not a name that they wanted to pursue.

"So, I'm not aware at the time of recording of anything advanced or moving between Chelsea and Ivan Toney, and Al-Ahli are the club in active negotiations," said Jacobs.

He continued:

"As we exclusively revealed on GIVEMESPORT, the £35million bid last week was rejected, and they are prepared to return - but only if they get player buy-in."

Toney has scored 72 goals and set up 23 in 141 appearances for the Bees across competitions.

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Blues suffer Romelu Lukaku blow

Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea have failed to reach a breakthrough in talks with Napoli for Romelu Lukau, according to acclaimed journalist Gianluca Di Marzio. The Belgian striker is surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, so the Blues are pushing for his exit.

The Serie A side are ready to take Lukaku back to Italy, with new manager Antonio Conte eager for a reunion. The 31-year-old played some of his best football under the Italian manager at Inter Milan and is also ready for the move.

The London giants sat down with Napoli on Thursday to chalk out a deal, but talks were not fruitful. The two sides failed to reach an agreement on the structure of the deal, but negotiations are likely to continue.

Lukaku's future is also tied to that of Victor Osimhem, who is a target for Chelsea and is expected to leave the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium this summer.

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Bayern Munich turn down chance to sign Raheem Sterling

Raheem Sterling

Bayern Munich have rejected the opportunity to sign Raheem Sterling this summer, according to journalist Christian Falk. The English forward's future at Chelsea has been thrown in the air since the arrival of Enzo Maresca.

The Italian manager didn't include Sterling in his matchday squads for the games against Manchester City and Servette. The arrival of Joao Felix and Pedro Neto - who has been handed Sterling's No. 7 shirt - has only added to speculation of his impending departure.

The 29-year-old has failed to live up to expectations since arriving at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2022. The Bavarians are looking for attacking reinforcements this summer and were afforded the chance to bring Sterling to the Allianz Arena.

However, Bayern turned down the opportunity, as they believe that the Englishman won't be an upgrade on the options at their disposal. The Blues are now running out of time to get a deal done this year.