Chelsea 'in advanced talks' to sign Josko Gvardiol for £77m but wait 12 months for player

Boehly have already spent nearly £200million on six new signings, including Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly. That figure is set to top £250m when Fofana's signing is complete, with the 21-year-old undergoing a medical in the United States before securing his transfer which is expected to be confirmed on deadline day.

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And if they succeed in luring Gvardiol to Stamford Bridge, that would bring Chelsea's spending on defenders alone to around £240m.

The club lost Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers over the summer, triggering a major investment from the US billionaire after he pledged to invest heavily following the completion of his 4.25 billion takeover pounds sterling.

But with Boehly at the helm, Chelsea now look set to raise the bar to achieve a new world spending record in a transfer window if he signs Gvardiol before the August 31 deadline.