Chelsea call off controversial transfer over fears of possible scrutiny as Premier League and FIFA investigate Strasbourg deal
Chelsea have reportedly cancelled the transfer of Deivid Washington to sister club Strasbourg over fears of the scrutiny the deal would bring to the club.
According to French football expert and regular talkSPORT contributor Julien LaurensEverything was agreed between the two clubs, both owned by Todd Boehly – for the 19-year-old Brazilian to move from Chelsea to Strasbourg for £17.6m (€21m), with £2.5m (€3m) in add-ons.
That's for a player who joined the Blues last summer for around £13m and has made just three first-team appearances.
Washington was set to undergo his medical to seal a move to the Ligue 1 club, but… Chelsea withdraw from the deal after questions arose about its legitimacy and the finances involved.
Chelsea were said to be looking to raise around £20m in player sales this summer to help balance their books and stay on the right side of spending regulations, and both clubs have the same owners.
The BlueCo consortium, led by Boehly and Clearlake Capital, took over the reins of Chelsea in 2022 and became the majority shareholder of Strasbourg in 2023.
Questions about the deal came from fans and media pundits, including talkSPORT presenter Jim White and Arsenal legend. Martin Keown – but Laurens says the Premier League and FIFA have also raised concerns about the transfer between the two parties.
The Premier League and FIFA are also said to be reviewing Diego Moreira's move from Chelsea to Strasbourg early in the summer window for around £7.5m.
Chelsea also transferred goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic to Strasbourg, which was announced on the final day of the deadline, but it was on a direct loan. American defender Caleb Wiley and Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos also made the same move on loan during the summer.
However, Laurens claims Strasbourg were not even in the market for a new striker and were not keen on Washington, with Chelsea pushing for a deal to happen.
The Premier League club ultimately cancelled the move and the young Brazilian star will remain at Stamford Bridge for the time being, with a likely exit in January.
While this transfer fell through, Chelsea were busy working throughout the deadline day with a series of comings and goings, the most notable being the departure of Raheem Sterling and the arrival of Jadon Sancho.
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Sterling made a surprise move to Arsenalwho negotiated a deal where the Gunners will pay significantly less than 50 per cent of the England star's £325,000-a-week wages.
Sancho is expected to arrive from Manchester United loan with an obligation to buy for a fee of between £20m and £25m, but as of Saturday morning that deal had not been confirmed by the clubs.
Meanwhile, Trevoh Chalobah He was rescued from Chelsea's 'bomb squad' by Crystal Palacewho have signed the defender on loan.
Armando Broja also sealed his transfer to Evertondespite a foot injury derailing a proposed transfer to Ipswich earlier in the window.
