Chelsea might "move first" in the brewing race for Celta Vigo star Gabri Veiga's signature, claims journalist Ben Jacobs.
Chelsea transfer news – what's the latest on Gabri Veiga?
It's been a crazy couple of weeks at Stamford Bridge, with the club going from having so many players that some had to change in hallways last season to suddenly selling six first-team players, all before July 1st.
That number could soon be seven as well, as Manchester United finally look like they have made the breakthrough in their pursuit of Mason Mount after the Blues finally accepted their third and final bid for the midfielder, a cool £55m plus £5m in add-ons.
The mass exodus of talent has given the West Londoners some financial wriggle room, and with Mount potentially leaving a hole in attacking midfield, the club seem to have identified their perfect replacement, Veiga.
According to the Evening Standard, the club are now 'expected to move' for the dynamic midfielder, who has a release clause of only £34.6m with La Liga outfit Celta Vigo.
Todd Boehly and Co may want to get a move on, however, as Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool have also been heavily linked with the player this summer, with transfers expert Fabrizio Romano reporting "he's one of the players Liverpool are following."
What has journalist Ben Jacobs said about Gabri Veiga and Chelsea?
Jacobs was clear that multiple Premier League clubs were interested in the Celta Vigo star, but the Blues and Manchester City were ahead of the curve in terms of a potential deal.
Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "The feeling is that both Chelsea and Man City might be the ones to move first here. Don't rule out Liverpool but what we should say is there's other Premier League clubs that at the moment are advancing a little bit faster."
How good is Gabri Veiga?
There is a lot of hype and excitement around the 21-year-old gem, and for good reason.
He had a brilliant season in La Liga last year, with WhoScored giving the youngster, who has been hailed as "elite", a great average rating of 6.82 across his 36 league appearances, in which he scored 11 goals and assisted his teammates four times.
His underlying numbers are outrageously good as well, with FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, placing the youngster in the top 1% for non-penalty goals, the top 2% for total shots, the top 3% for non-penalty expected goals, and the top 12% for progressive carries and successful take-ons.
It's not just his technical skills that have won him plaudits, however, as he has been credited for his smarts as well, with Bournemouth's new manager Andoni Iraola hailing the player as "very intelligent."
If Chelsea can get this deal over the line, they could have one of the league's very best players on their hands a few years from now.