Sterling, Ugarte, Merino, Nketiah & more

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We’re heading towards the end of the window and many things are happening at Chelsea as always, with the Blues now very busy on outgoings. As we know, Conor Gallagher has been announced as a new Atletico Madrid player, with Joao Felix heading in the opposite direction, it’s all official now.

As well as that, Armando Broja to Ipswich Town is done – it’s a loan with an obligation to buy clause, which is there in case Ipswich manage to avoid relegation from the Premier League this season. The overall package is worth more than £30m, from what I’m hearing, so this is the agreement, with Broja saying yes to the move and having his medical with the club yesterday.

I’m also told that Chelsea are now very close to selling Romelu Lukaku. The agreement is very close with Napoli, and all parties now believe that the deal will be done. Lukaku has already agreed a three-year contract with Napoli, whose director will be in London to close the deal. There will be a new round of talks in London very soon this week, and the expectation is for Lukaku to become a Napoli player.

We also know that Chelsea have a lot of work to do to clarify the situations of other players, such as Raheem Sterling, Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka. Sterling has been linked with the likes of Juventus and Aston Villa, but despite rumours, there are no specific clubs to mention yet, but Sterling’s camp is exploring options as he will leave Chelsea. The decision is clear after talking to Maresca, so Sterling is leaving and it’s over with Chelsea. Negotiations will follow in the next days with several possibilities.

The expectation remains for the Mikel Merino deal to happen, it’s just about working on the details of the deal, with Arsenal very relaxed and confident. As well as that, we could see some players leave Arsenal before the end of the window, such as Eddie Nketiah and Aaron Ramsdale.

With Nketiah, we know Nottingham Forest are interested. However, Forest have also shown an interest in Santiago Gimenez – their bid has been rejected by Feyenoord, €26m plus add-ons was still not enough. Forest have advanced in talks with Arsenal and also with Nketiah as he’s accepted the proposal…