Chelsea close to verbal agreement for Xavi Simons: report

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Chelsea are on the verge of bringing Xavi Simons to Stamford Bridge, with an agreement imminent for the Dutch superstar

Chelsea target Xavi Simons of RB Leipzig looks on during the Bundesliga match between RB Leipzig and VfB Stuttgart at Red Bull Arena on May 17, 2025 in Leipzig, Germany.
Xavi Simons is a target for Chelsea (Image credit: Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Chelsea are on the cusp of closing an agreement for Xavi Simons.

Fresh off the back of a Club World Cup title, the Blues are finalising their squad for the coming season with a slew of attacking signings, which have included Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens in a hectic summer window.

There are likely to be outgoings over the coming weeks at Stamford Bridge but Chelsea may well look to add at least one more no.10 before the window closes.

Xavi Simons progressing on talks with Chelsea, ahead of Arsenal

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca before the Premier League match against Newcastle at St. James' Park, May 2025

Enzo Maresca can imagine ‘playing with two no.10s’ (Image credit: Alamy)

With RB Leipzig missing out on the Champions League spots last term, FourFourTwo understands that the Bundesliga outfit would ideally offload a couple of major assets this summer.

Leipzig were expecting forward Benjamin Sesko to be leaving this summer, with Arsenal in advanced talks earlier on in the window – but with that move having stalled, attention turns to Simons, who only joined the club permanently in January.

Benjamin Sesko has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal

Benjamin Sesko has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal (Image credit: Getty Images)

Sky Germany journalist Florian Plettenberg reports in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that Simons is looking to reach a verbal agreement with Chelsea, as talks continue today.

Leipzig are said to be demanding £95m for the playmaker – which would exceed Virgil van Dijk's record as the most expensive Dutchman of all time – with Leipzig sporting director Marcel Schafer alluding to the “financial sense” of signing Simons earlier this year, when he claimed, “We now hold all the trump cards.”

According to Plettenberg, there is hope from Chelsea's perspective that Simons, ranked at no.8 in FourFourTwo's list of the best attacking midfielders in the world right now, could play as one of two no.10s, potentiall alongside Cole Palmer in Enzo Maresca's system.

Arsenal were also said to be chasing Simons – but The Athletic's James McNicholas recently said claimed that Ethan Nwaneri's new contract at the Emirates Stadium has “reduced the need” for a player in that position.

Xavi Simons in action for RB Leipzig against Union Berlin in February 2025.

Xavi Simons looks Premier League bound (Image credit: Getty Images)

Chelsea themselves were linked with Nwaneri before the teenager penned a new deal at the Gunners.

Simons is valued at €70m by Transfermarkt

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.

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