Chelsea willing to pay £69 million as they step up plans to offload Robert Sanchez: Reports

Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa and are keen to sell Robert Sanchez to fund the potential move.

Sanchez, who is a two-cap Spain international, joined the Blues for a fee of around £25 million from Brighton & Hove Albion past summer. He started 20 games for his new team, recording five clean sheets and conceding 28 goals, before succumbing to an injury this season.

However, since returning from his knee injury, Sanchez has been on the bench on two occasions out of three games across all competitions. He is said to have fallen below Djordje Petrovic in the pecking order.

Now, according to Football Insider, Chelsea have opted to cash in on Sanchez with a potential summer move for Costa on the horizon. They are hoping to redirect any sum to their pursuit of the £69 million-rated Portuguese star, who was earlier linked with Manchester United.

Costa, who has a contract until June 2027 at Porto, has established himself as one of the best up-and-coming goalkeepers in the world over the last two seasons. The 24-year-old has overseen 50 shutouts in 118 matches for his club since the start of the 2021-22 campaign.

Chelsea remain in race to snap up Napoli's Victor Osimhen, confirms Fabrizio Romano

Speaking recently on The Debrief podcast, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano stated that Chelsea are still in the race to sign Napoli star Victor Osimhen. He elaborated (h/t Football365):

"I'm sure they're in the race. The interest has always been there. It was never a possibility to sign him in January, but it's fair to say that Chelsea never entered into any concrete discussions in January because in the summer, they expect different strikers to be available, and Osimhen is one of the most interesting options."

Shedding light on the Nigerian striker's future at Napoli, Romano said:

"Everything is set for Osimhen's exit, and Napoli are already preparing for him to leave the club this summer. Usually with Napoli, it's really difficult to negotiate, but you never know in football. Maybe there can be a player offered in the deal, but overall the value of the deal has to be around £103 million. Napoli want to make the biggest sale in the history of Serie A, this is their target."

Since the start of last campaign, Osimhen has been in stupendous form for Napoli. The 25-year-old helped his current club lift the 2022-23 Serie A title, registering 31 goals in 39 games across all competitions.

Osimhen, whose current deal is set to expire on June 2026, has found the back of the net 13 times in 22 matches for Francesco Calzona's outfit this season. He has also laid out four assists for his team so far.