Having reportedly already agreed to buy a £70 million (R1.4 billion) attacker, Chelsea are now rumoured to be set to spend a further £200 million (R4 billion) on an England midfield duo.
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When England thrashed Iran 6-2 in their 2022 FIFA World Cup opener, Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly was reportedly in attendance to show support to his star players Raheem Sterling and Mason Mount. During the encounter, however, it is said a separate Three Lions duo caught the American's attention.
Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice are understood to be appreciated by the Blues' hierarchy, and according to The Telegraph, the west London outfit will try and buy both central midfielders during the upcoming off-season.
Chelsea are said to have been long-term admirers of the pair, but if deals are to be done for Bellingham and Rice, it is believed that they would each cost in excess of £100 million (R2 billion).
Bellingham made his World Cup debut in the win over Iran, and towered over everybody to open the scoring during the encounter.
The teenager has also been lighting up the UEFA Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in this campaign, and it is because of these performances that Chelsea will likely face fierce competition to sign the Englishman.
Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester City, Bayern Munich and Manchester United have all been rumoured to be interested in his services too.
If Boehly is to initiate talks for them, Rice appears to be more likely to make move to Stamford Bridge. The holding midfielder played for the Chelsea academy as a boy, but was later released as a teenager. Since leaving, though, he has gone on to establish himself as West Ham United's captain and an England regular.
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The London native has also rebuffed the Hammers' offers to stay on at the London Stadium as he runs down the remaining two years on his current deal.
These fresh links emerge just days after news broke that the two-time European champions have agreed a deal with RB Leipzig to sign forward Christopher Nkunku.
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