Xavi Simons has removed RB Leipzig from his Instagram bio in what has been described as a clear message to the Bundesliga side over his desire to join Chelsea.
Having already wrapped up the signings of Liam Delap, João Pedro and Jamie Gittens, Chelsea have identified Simons as their next attacking priority and are working towards an agreement over the Dutch international.
Chelsea are progressing in talks with Simons over personal terms and the 22-year-old has now hinted at his desire to move to Stamford Bridge by deleting any mention of Leipzig from his social media page.
According to Fabrizio Romano, this is seen as a message to Leipzig as he seeks to force through a move to Chelsea.
Amid the rising tensions behind the scenes, Simons was left out of the Leipzig squad for Saturday’s friendly against Atalanta and did not train with the rest of the squad in the build-up to the game.
Negotiations between the two clubs are at an “advanced stage” and Chelsea are optimistic of getting a deal over the line to bring Simons to Stamford Bridge alongside Dutch teammate Jorrel Hato, whose permanent switch from Ajax is expected to be finalised imminently.
Working in Chelsea’s favour is Simons’s contract situation. He has just two years remaining on his current deal and has made it clear he will not extend, meaning this is likely the last chance Leipzig will have to sell the versatile midfielder for anywhere close to his full value.
Chelsea have been busy working to raise the funds needed to pursue Simons. João Félix has departed for Al Nassr and academy graduate Armando Broja has agreed a move to Burnley which could be worth as much as £20 million ($26.5 million).
READ THE LATEST CHELSEA NEWS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Xavi Simons Drops Huge Chelsea Transfer Hint, Misses RB Leipzig Training.