Chelsea have triumphed over Roma to secure the signing of Rennes right-back Guela Doue, with the defender set to become the club’s seventh new addition of the summer transfer window.
The Blues have been active in the transfer market to kick-start the Enzo Maresca era, bringing in Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Caleb Wiley, Renato Veiga, Omari Kellyman, and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Stamford Bridge.
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It’s reported that Chelsea are also nearing a deal for Villarreal goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, who is anticipated to join the west London club to provide competition for Robert Sanchez.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Doue is poised to make a move that has remained largely unnoticed until now. The report indicates the 21-year-old will join Chelsea for a fee of around €7 million (£5.9m) plus €2m (£1.7m) in bonuses.
However, Doue will immediately be loaned to Strasbourg for the upcoming season to ensure regular first-team football.
The versatile Ivory Coast international, capable of playing at right-back, center-back, and as a defensive midfielder, had drawn interest from Roma after rejecting a new contract offer from Rennes earlier this summer.
With only one year left on his current contract in Brittany, the Ligue 1 club decided to sell their academy product to avoid losing him on a free transfer next year.
Doue, who joined Rennes at the age of eight, advanced through the academy ranks and made his senior debut as a substitute in a 3-0 victory over Strasbourg in February 2023.
He has since made 35 appearances in the French top flight and earned two caps for the Ivory Coast national team.
Doue’s older brother, Desire, also plays for Rennes, while his cousins Yann Gboho and Marc-Olivier Doue play for Toulouse and Eldense respectively.
Speaking to the media after Chelsea’s pre-season draw with Wrexham, Maresca said ‘anything’ was possible in the transfer market, with over a month remaining until the deadline.
When asked for an update on Chelsea’s plans, Maresca told reporters: ‘When the transfer window is open, anything can happen for us and for the rest.’
When pressed on Chelsea’s interest in Villarreal ‘keeper Jorgensen, Maresca added: ‘We’ll see, we’ll see.
‘At the moment we have four goalkeepers. [Dorde] Petrovic is still with us but injured. We will see with the timing.
‘What I can say is Robert [Sanchez] did very well tonight and has done very well since we started. For sure, the way we want to play, the goalkeeper is very, very important – one of the main positions.
‘And I don’t want to talk about players that are not Chelsea players but I am very happy with Robert.’
