Chelsea transfer news LIVE: Poch on Mbappe talk, Caicedo deal stalls, Gallagher in plans

New Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino will hope for further additions in the remaining weeks of the summer window after a flurry of high-profile exits.

Chelsea finished a pitiful 12th in the Premier League - their lowest since the 1993/94 season - following a series of errors on and off the pitch.

Pochettino has added a couple of senior additions so far but there are plenty of areas in the squad that need bulking up ahead of the new Premier League season.

Chelsea's 2023 summer recruits:

Christopher Nkunku [RB Leipzig] £52m

Nicolas Jackson [Villarreal] £32m

Kendry Paez [Independiente del Valle] Undisclosed

Dujuan Richards [Phoenix All Stars Academy] Undisclosed

Angelo Gabriel [Santos] Undisclosed

Alex Matos [Norwich] Undisclosed

Diego Moreira [Benfica] Undisclosed

Ishe Samuels-Smith [Everton] Undisclosed

Follow our live blog below for all the latest news from Chelsea…

5 minutes ago

Hello and welcome back to talkSPORT.com's live coverage of Chelsea news.

Lautaro Martinez has confirmed the reports that Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku refused to answer the club's calls this summer.

Inter pulled the plug on re-signing Lukaku after he reportedly didn't answer calls from chiefs or his former teammates.

And his former striker partner, Martinez, has revealed the reports from Italian media were true.

"Lukaku? I was disappointed, it's the truth," he said.

"I also tried to call him in those days of chaos, he never answered me, the same with my other teammates.

"After so many years together, after so many things lived together, I was disappointed.

"Thankfully, it's his choice. I wish him the best, but I didn't expect this attitude."

26th Jul 2023, 20:42

That's all from talkSPORT's coverage of today's Chelsea transfer news.

But be sure to join us tomorrow as we continue to guide you through the Blues' summer business.

26th Jul 2023, 18:56

Chelsea could end up keeping Conor Gallagher, according to The Daily Mail.

The England international has been linked with a number of Premier League teams, including West Ham and Tottenham.

But now it seems the 23-year-old is intent on staying to fight for his place.

26th Jul 2023, 16:10

Chelsea have been brilliant at selling players in this transfer window and buying youth players, but they haven't recruited many senior additions.

The Premier League season is now less than three weeks away and Mauricio Pochettino's squad is thin in many positions, including attacking wide players.

But that could be about to change, with The Independent claiming that the Blues lead Arsenal in the race for Mohammed Kudus.

Ajax want £40million for their versatile attacking player and Chelsea are poised to complete a deal, with the Gunners having to sell before they can buy anyone else.

26th Jul 2023, 15:20

Chelsea are desperate to sell Romelu Lukaku this summer, with the striker determined to leave Stamford Bridge.However, he has rejected a move to Saudi Arabia and a transfer back to Inter Milan has collapsed, leaving Juventus as the frontrunners.But the Serie A giants are struggling for cash, and according to Goal, they are hoping to negotiate a loan deal with the Blues.

26th Jul 2023, 14:21

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino believes his team must sign one more central midfielder this summer.

The Blues' move for Pochettino's top target, Moises Caicedo, has hit a roadblock, with Brighton and the London giants miles apart on their valuations.

Romeo Lavia is also of interest, but Liverpool are in the driving seat for his signature.

But despite these frustrations, Pochettino wants a new midfielder.

Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's game against Newcastle, he said: "It depends on the situation of different players.

"We need one more, and we are working on that."

26th Jul 2023, 11:55

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino says the club are 'working to a different reality' as he was quizzed on links to Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe.

PSG have put Mbappe up for sale and given him permission to hold talks with Saudi club Al Hilal after the Frenchman refused to sign a new contract.

Pochettino, when asked whether Chelsea could move, said: "I need to be conscious, I cannot talk because everything that you talk is too much noise, it is a very delicate situation and it is a situation they need to fix in Paris with Kylian, Kylian with PSG.

"But from our side, nothing to say. We are working in our reality, their reality is different - and they for sure have another reality. And from my side, nothing to say - only to support them and hope they find the best solution for both sides."

26th Jul 2023, 11:55

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino insists midfielder Conor Gallagher is part of his plans ahead of the new season - although concedes that could change.

talkSPORT understands the Blues would seek £50million for Gallagher if they were to sell - with West Ham and Tottenham both interested.

However, having sold numerous midfielders already, Pochettino insists he is not planning to sell the Englishman.

"Conor is in our plans, I was talking with him the first day he arrived that he is in our plans," he said.

"Then in football, anything can happen, we can manage and at the moment, I am happy with him, with his performance, still a two-year contract, and nothing to say.

"It depends on the situation of different players. I think we need one more [midfield player], we are working on that, but it depends on what happens in the next few weeks. We will decide and then take a decision."

26th Jul 2023, 10:56

talkSPORT understands Chelsea retain a strong interest in signing Romeo Lavia from Southampton.

Liverpool saw a £35million bid, plus add-ons, turned down for the Belgian, but they are set to return with another offer.

The Reds are confident they will complete the Lavia deal in the coming days, but Chelsea have hijacked transfers in the past, and with the Moises Caicedo deal stalling, it wouldn't be a surprise if the Blues jumped in.

26th Jul 2023, 09:41

Hello, and welcome back to talkSPORT.com's live Chelsea transfer blog. Let's start by looking at the latest on Moises Caicedo.

Caicedo is still the Blues' top summer transfer target, and all other interested clubs appear to have been put off by Brighton's demands, which talkSPORT understand to be north of £100million.

The Ecuadorian international is keen on the move to Stamford Bridge, but the Blues are nowhere near the valuation.

As a result, Caicedo is now participating in Brighton's pre-season matches, and the deal appears to have stalled.

25th Jul 2023, 18:56

Romeo Lavia has been named in the starting line-up for Southampton's friendly this evening.

The Chelsea target has been heavily linked with a move away from the south coast this summer following their relegation from the Premier League.

With Liverpool making a move today, it remains to be seen how long he'll stick around at St Mary's Stadium, but his involvement from the off against Bournemouth shows that he's very much in the plans of new Southampton boss Russell Martin ahead of the new Championship season that gets underway next week.

25th Jul 2023, 18:01

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's father has described his year at Chelsea as 'a nightmare'.

The Gabon international joined the Blues from Barcelona last summer but found himself on the sidelines for long spells with his time in west London being far from successful.

Now with Marseille, Aubameyang's father has spoken to L'Equipe and explained how the robbery of his house had a lasting impact on the player.

He said: "His jaw was broken by robbers at his home in Barcelona while trying to protect his wife and children.

"At Chelsea he played with a mask at the start. It could only be a nightmare year.

"Now it's over. He has a smile. He knows that I'm seeing the light again because I can walk and run since my last operation. And he's signing for [Marseille]. It is a big relief after the nightmare year that he experienced."

25th Jul 2023, 15:58

Liverpool have seen a £37million bid for Chelsea target Romeo Lavia rejected by Southampton, according to reports.

Personal terms for the midfielder are not the issue, as it's claimed the player wants the move.

But, according to David Ornstein, the Reds' offer was turned down by the Saints who are looking for closer to £50m for the 19-year-old.

25th Jul 2023, 15:01

Inter Milan have made Chelsea target Emi Martinez their top target to replace Andre Onana.

However, the Italian giants will have to stump up a lot more cash to have a chance of signing the Argentina No.1.

Journalist Gaston Edul is reporting Inter have tabled a £12million bid for Aston Villa goalkeeper Martinez.

But that offer was quickly rebuffed by Aston Villa, who paid £20m to sign the 30-year-old from Arsenal in 2020.

25th Jul 2023, 13:48

Chelsea remain locked in discussions to sign Moises Caicedo, talkSPORT understands.

But the Blues have been unable to match Brighton's asking price of in excess of £100m.

The Ecuadorian has been subject of a long-running transfer saga since coming close to a move to Arsenal in January.

Chelsea have since taken the lead in the chase for the highly-rated midfielder and hope to conclude a deal before the end of the transfer window.

25th Jul 2023, 12:36

Teddy Sheringham has assessed whether Conor Gallagher could be an adequate replacement for Declan Rice at West Ham,.

"If I was Conor Gallagher, I would want to get the vibe from Pochettino and find out where I fit into his plans for the season ahead," the former striker told Lord Ping.

"I would want to know what he expected from me and if I wasn't part of his first team, then I would definitely consider West Ham as an option.

"I appreciate that West Ham is a step down the ladder from Chelsea - certainly the Chelsea from the last 10 or 15 years - but what a great club to go and play for.

"At his age, he needs to be playing regularly. He needs to play as many games as he did when he was at Palace a couple of seasons ago.