Chelsea has been dominating the transfer market like no other club for the past few months. The club is looking to reinforce their squad this year following their disappointing performance in the league last season. Chelsea is looking to humiliate rivals, Liverpool, once more this season as they set their sights on Belgian star Romeo Lavia.
Chelsea and Liverpool have been battling against each other in this summer transfer window. The two Premier League giants ensued in an intense fight over Ecuadorian midfielder Moises Caicedo. Caicedo, who was close to joining Liverpool, made a U-turn on his decision and signed with Chelsea instead. Caicedo’s $145 million from Brighton and Hove Albion has further set the record for being the most expensive deal in British soccer.
Lavia, who has again been targeted by the Merseyside club, is also being eyed by the Blues. However, as per the British news outlet Sky Sports, the Southampton star desires to move to Stamford Bridge. The club has reportedly agreed to a $63 million deal plus add-ons with Southampton for the 19-year-old star.
Romeo Lavia’s preference is to join Chelsea despite Liverpool agreeing a £60m deal for the Southampton midfielder 🚨
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 14, 2023
Before Caicedo signed for Chelsea, Liverpool had already agreed to a $141 million contract with Brighton. Similarly, there are reports that Liverpool had agreed to a $76 million deal for Lavia with Southampton. Currently, Chelsea’s financial prowess remains unparalleled in the Premier League, which is helping them to dominate this transfer window.
Soccer expert exposes how Chelsea has exploited FFP loophole
Chelsea’s ludicrous spending spree has attracted a lot of negative attention from the other Premier League clubs. After Todd Boehly took over Chelsea’s ownership, the club has spent over a billion dollars on transfers. This has led to questions being raised about whether the club complies with the FFP rules. However, soccer finance expert Kieran Maguire has revealed how Chelsea has found a loophole in the FFP rules.
Contract length can be any period. Amortisation under UEFA but not PL rules limited to 5 years from this summer. Not an issue for Chelsea as not playing in Europe.
— Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) August 13, 2023
Maguire has shed light on how Chelsea has offered lengthy contracts to their new signings to comply with the Financial Fair Play rules. This practice has allowed the club to balance its books over the course of a player’s contract. Although UEFA has reacted to this practice by limiting the spreading of the cost of fees to only 5 years, Chelsea not playing in any European competition this season has alleviated this concern for the club.