Chelsea readying £50m Spurs raid with talks already held

It was 2011, and Luka Modric wanted to sign for Chelsea.

Harry Redknapp said that the Blues’ £22m bid was “ridiculous“, but the fact remains that Chelsea were determined to take from Tottenham Hotspur their star midfielder, who had filed a transfer request in the hope of forcing through a move to Stamford Bridge.

In the end, Chelsea were fruitless in their efforts, with Modric staying at White Hart Lane and then joining Real Madrid one year later. There’s one that got away, with the Croatian legend, 40 years old, one of the greatest players of his generation.

Now, Xabi Alonso’s Blues have plans to avenge that failed transfer, but they have a bit of housework to tend to first.

Chelsea in talks to sign Spurs midfielder

Chelsea are one of the best teams in world football, with there an expectation that they should compete for the biggest prizes each year.

However, the west London side slumped to a tenth-place Premier League finish last year, and face a steep climb to reach the top once again, with Marc Cucurella already sold to Real Madrid and Enzo Fernandez potentially following suit.

A mini-exodus was always going to be on the cards. Chelsea cannot offer European football next season, after all. However, if someone of Fernandez’s calibre is going to be offloaded, BlueCo chiefs will need to find a suitable replacement.

How about the new version of Modric?

According to Football Insider, Chelsea are rivalling Aston Villa for wantaway Tottenham midfielder Lucas Bergvall, who is resolved to finding a new club this summer.

Chelsea are in for the Swedish talent once again, having explored the possibility of signing him during the January transfer window.

Tottenham knocked back those enquiries on that occasion, but now, a deal could be struck for the £50m-rated prospect, who is also emerging as a top target for Nottingham Forest.

Bergvall hasn’t always earned the consistent starting roles that he feels he deserves with the Lilywhites, and in that, he could even sign for Chelsea in something of a Cole Palmer repeat.

Why Bergvall can be Palmer 2.0 for Chelsea

Currently competing with Sweden at the World Cup, Bergvall, 20, has been one of Spurs’ bright sparks throughout a difficult period over the past couple of years.

He joined Tottenham from Djurgårdens in Sweden in January 2024, with Spurs beating Barcelona to his signature.

That is to say that Bergvall has been recognised as a potential superstar from the get-go, and Chelsea would mark the perfect level-up in his promising career.

A stylish and progressive midfielder, the Sweden international could match Palmer in developing into a superstar after struggling for minutes at his previous club.

It wouldn’t be the first time under the BlueCo regime that Chelsea would sign one of their Premier League rivals’ most exciting up-and-comers. In 2023, Mauricio Pochettino welcomed Palmer to Stamford Bridge, signing Manchester City’s youth star for a £42.5m fee.

Jamie Carragher described the Three Lions star as “the best player in the Premier League” during the 2024/25 campaign, and while the 24-year-old Palmer fell off his perch last season, he remains one of the most talented and destructive attacking midfielders in Europe.

Bergvall sits deeper than Palmer, but he has the potential to become a mainstay in age-belying fashion for Chelsea, much like Palmer before him. Hailed for having skill and a first touch that is just “like Modric” by The Athletic’s JJ Bull, Alonso could well land one of the most exciting talents in world football, someone whose growth has been stunted by the wider issues at Tottenham.

That giddy debut season, no Premier League player surpassed Palmer for goal involvements. While Bergvall would not stand to emulate that, he could have a significant impact at Chelsea in Fernandez’s stead, having completed a whopping 62.5% of his dribbles in the Premier League last year.

Moreover, he ranked highly for tackles won and clearances, so he could establish himself as the complete package for a Chelsea side in transition.

Bergvall certainly has something Modric-esque about him, and while he is still developing, Chelsea clearly spy an opportunity that they won’t want to pass them by, especially as Aston Villa are also gearing up for a bid of their own.