Chelsea hold secret transfer meeting as Roman Abramovich plots late transfer spending spree

Chelsea’s top brass held a secret transfer meeting in the south of France this weekend as the club plots a late surge of transfer activity.

Blues owner Roman Abramovich and director Marina Granovskaia are understood to have drawn up a list of key signings to be made before the closure of the window on August 9.

The Daily Mail reports that Russian billionaire Abramovich sailed his yacht into Antibes as Chelsea continued their pre-season preparations against Inter in nearby Nice.

Abramovich and Granovskaia, his most trusted aide, sat together in a box at the Allianz Riviera to watch their team defeat the Milan side on penalties following a 1-1 draw.

Meetings are said to have been held with Juventus over bids for striker Gonzalo Higuain and defenders Daniele Rugani and Mattia Caldara.

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There are also claims that the Blues duo have spoken with Borussia Dortmund over a possible £65million blockbuster move for American star Christian Pulisic.

Abramovich also personally dropped in for a chat with new manager Maurizio Sarri in France to gauge his early opinions of the squad inherited from Antonio Conte.

It would appear that the new man in charge is not entirely convinced Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata will remain at Stamford Bridge beyond deadline day.

It is likely that the Spanish international goalscorer would need to be offloaded if Higuain was to be recruited from Serie A giants Juventus this summer.

Sarri said: “We have been working hard but it is only the start. Not everyone is here yet but the players that are here are doing well.

“Morata? We want to keep our best players but not at all costs. We want to keep our top players but only if they want to be here. We can try to convince some players but let’s see how it goes.

“I’m still waiting for the best Morata. In the first match (against Perth Glory) Morata did not play very well.

“Tonight, especially in the first 30 minutes, he improved a lot. I am satisfied and I am very confident in him for the future.”

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Chelsea flew home to London immediately after beating Inter as they now turn their attention to another friendly fixture with Arsenal in Dublin on Wednesday.

Speculation is mounting that Gunners midfielder Aaron Ramsey could swap the Emirates for the Bridge as reports on Sunday linked the Blues with a £30million bid.

Chelsea’s top priority remains to ward off interest from Real Madrid in playmaker Eden Hazard while Thibaut Courtois is also being heavily linked with a move to the Bernabeu.