Fekir talks, Zidane interested in move, Neymar boost, Christensen wants stay, Icardi boost in Chelsea daily roundup

Here is the latest Chelsea news, gossip and transfer speculation from icchelseanews.com

Lyon president Jean Michel Aulas has confirmed Chelsea target Nabil Fekir is in talks about extending his contract.

Fekir became one of the most talked about midfielders during the summer transfer window after reports emerged which claimed he was all set to make a move to the Premier League to link-up with Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool.

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However, the move fell through at the very last minute after Liverpool backed out of a deal and that then led to speculation that we were also in talks to try and get a deal done, but were also unable to wrap things up as the Maurizio Sarri had other targets.

Now Aulas has explained discussions about an extension are advanced, with a deal expected to be wrapped up soon.

“We have made some advances in Fekir’s contract extension,” he said on the TalkSport website.

“We are discussing it and soon I’ll have to see Nabil, we aren’t in the final stages but in any case we have advanced.”

The father of Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar, says the Brazilian is very happy in the French capital.

Neymar signed for PSG last summer in a deal that is worth around £200 million and has so far excelled in the French Capital. But there has been a lot of speculation over the past few months which have suggested that he would be open to a switch to La Liga or the Premier League.

And although Neymar’s father admitted that the Brazilian is happy at PSG, he failed to commit his sons long-term future to the Champions.

“Neymar’s first year at PSG was a year of adaptation, a year of experience,” he told Telefoot.

“From now on, he is very good in Paris. He is very happy here and he is growing up with PSG.

“Aside from the injury, he is very happy in Paris. The future of Neymar is in Paris, his present is in Paris. But it’s hard to talk about the future, because in football it can change at any time. But Neymar’s present is in Paris.”

Chelsea have edged even closer to a summer deal for Inter Milan star Mauro Icardi.

It is no secret that the Argentine is struggling to agree terms on a new contract at Milan, with many believing that Milan are willing to sell if the £90 million valuation is met at the end of the season.

Maurizio Sarri will wait and see just how Gonzalo Higuain gets on before making anymore transfer decisions, as he firmly believes the on-loan Juventus star will score goals on a regular basis.

However, a more long-term striker is needed in the summer window as the Argentine can only be a few seasons away from playing at the very highest level, and they will be boosted by the reports that Icardi is getting even closer to a summer move.

Reports on the Marca website have claimed rivals Real Madrid are no longer interested in securing a deal for Icardi, as they are reportedly not fans of his agent and wife, Wanda Nara.

Nara has been critical of Icardi’s club Inter Milan, questioning their transfer policy and making disparaging remarks about performances on the pitch, and her actions as his agent have caused Madrid to pull out of the chase to land the striker.

Manchester United target Zinedine Zidane wants the Chelsea job – if they match his terms and ambition.

Maurizio Sarri started life at Stamford Bridge in fine fashion and won his opening twelve matches as boss, but over the past few months there have been some poor results, talk of player unrest and Sarri hitting out at Roman Abramovic a few times.

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And that has led to a lot of speculation that Sarri could be sacked before the end of the season, especially after Abramovic saw his expensive side get thrashed 6-0 last weekend to Premier League Champions Manchester City, their worst defeat in the Premier League era.

And according to recent reports, there is growing support in the hierarchy for ex-Real Madrid head coach Zidane to come to Stamford Bridge to help turn the Blues back into a European superpower.

Now, according to the Sky Sports news website, Zidane will take the job at Stamford Bridge if they give him a £200 million transfer kitty and promise to keep hold of star man Eden hazard.

Zidane left Madrid at the end of last season after guiding the club to their third-successive Champions League title and is heavily tipped to be he next United boss, should Ole Gunnar Solskjaer fall apart in the final few months of the season.

Andreas Christensen has admitted he is now happy at the club after being given reassurances.

The Denmark international was a regular in Antonio Conte’s final campaign in charge at Stamford Bridge, and was seemingly set to be the clubs main man at the back under news boss Maurizio Sarri this season.

However, He has made just 15 appearances in all competitions under Sarri this season, as the Italian boss prefers Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz as his back two, despite many in the media criticising many of the duo’s performances this season.

Now he has no intention of leaving after a meeting with senior management.

‘Obviously I had a lot of doubts,’ Christensen told Bold.dk.

‘But once the club assured me I am needed, it really wasn’t that hard for me to accept. ‘I’ve been in the club for many years, and I still love being here.

‘It’s solely because of the playing time that the transfer consideration started.

‘But I’m looking forward, and I’ve come to terms with the situation.’

We have been told that Zinedine Zidane would be open to a move to the club in the summer.

Zidane has become a top transfer target for Chelsea over the past few weeks as speculation continues to grow that under-fire boss Maurizio Sarri is heading for the exit signs after a poor run of results.

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Chelsea will have a big battle on their hands to get back into a top four spot after losing 6-0 to Manchester City a few weeks ago, while they are now out of the FA Cup after Manchester United picked up a comfortable 2-0 victory on Monday night.

And Laurens has claimed Zidane would be interested in a move to Chelsea, but his lack of English may make any move impossible to complete.

“I think we need to see it from his point of view in the sense that would this be a project that interests him?” Laurens said on ESPN FC.

“I think the idea of coaching one of the big clubs in the Premier League of course is appealing to him.

“There’s a few issues there, the language, and we talked about it before when he was linked with Manchester United as well. Zinedine Zidane is a manager who works a lot on man-management. They’re not all like this but he is very much like this.

“And the language, he doesn’t speak a word of English, I think he would see it as a problem to get his message across to the players. But also the way he man-manages all his players, all his dressing room to make everybody feel important, for example like he did in Madrid. That would be an issue.

“The fact that he won’t like the lack of stability at Chelsea with managers coming in and coming out very regularly – two years for [Antonio] Conte, maybe even less for Sarri.

“That’s something he doesn’t like and enjoy, that kind of spirit. So there are a lot of things I am not sure he will be so keen on.

“However, Chelsea are a huge club and he will obviously be interested in a big club and the Premier League is a league that interests him very much.”

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