Everton have reportedly submitted a formal bid for Chelsea midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as the Blues begin the process of thinning out their squad.
Dewsbury-Hall joined Chelsea last summer in a deal worth £30 million ($39.8 million), following manager Enzo Maresca from Leicester City, but was not a regular starter at Stamford Bridge this past season. While he made 36 appearances across all competitions, he played just 258 minutes in the Premier League and instead found most of his opportunities in the Conference League.
While Chelsea are not believed to be desperate to sell Dewsbury-Hall, he could be allowed to leave for the right price, and Fabrizio Romano has revealed talks are on with Everton over a permanent transfer.
The Toffees are thought to have submitted a bid and are now locked in negotiations with Chelsea as they seek to fend off competition from other Premier League rivals.
Fulham have been recently named as suitors for Dewsbury-Hall by BBC Sport, with Raheem Sterling another Chelsea outcast on the Cottagers’ radar, while West Ham United have also been credited with interest.
Chelsea value Dewsbury-Hall as a member of the squad and are appreciative of his willingness to accept a reduced role, but offers will be entertained if the former Leicester midfielder expresses a desire to find a greater role elsewhere.
According to The Athletic, Chelsea are looking to recover the £30 million paid to sign Dewsbury-Hall 12 months ago.
Lesley Ugochukwu is heading for the Stamford Bridge exit door sooner than Dewsbury-Hall. The towering French midfielder spent last season on loan at relegation-bound Southampton but impressed enough to earn admiring glances from Burnley. The Athletic were the first to report that Scott Parker’s newly promoted outfit have struck an agreement to sign Ugochukwu on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee.
Even without Ugochukwu, Dewsbury-Hall faces a fight to get on the pitch for Chelsea. The return of Andrey Santos after a dazzling loan spell with Strasbourg has only added to the competition for minutes in midfield, where Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and Roméo Lavia are the top three options for Maresca. 20-year-old Dário Essugo has also joined after signing from Sporting CP earlier in the year.
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chelsea Receive ‘Official Bid’ From Premier League Side for Fringe Midfielder.