£10M GOALKEEPER TRANSFER HANGING IN THE BALANCE AFTER CECH'S EXIT

Chelsea's proposed £10million deal to sign Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina has gone quiet following the swift departures of Petr Cech and Marina Granovskaia, according to reports. The Blues were in line to wrap up the capture of the highly-rated 18-year-old shot-stopper prior to the abrupt changes to the Stamford Bridge hierarchy but now the move is in serious doubt. Chelsea have always had an eye on potential stars of the future and Slonina is a player that was of great interest to the Blues.

Thomas Tuchel's side were even prepared to fend off interest from Real Madrid and Wolves in order to push a deal over the line. Slonina was close to agreeing the move prior to the sanctions that were imposed against Chelsea due to their association with former owner Roman Abramovich. But the teenager's dreams were soon dashed when Chelsea were hit with a temporary transfer ban earlier in the year.

According to The Evening Standard, the deal is now unlikely to be revived following the changes upstairs at Chelsea. Cech has now left his role as technical and performance adviser, where he worked under director Granovskaia. The former Chelsea goalkeeper had a big say on recruitment and would advise the club on who to sign between the posts. He was an instrumental figure behind the arrival of Edouard Mendy after he listened to a recommendation from one of his contacts at former club Rennes.
While it remains unknown whether or not the Blues will still go ahead with the proposed deal, it is currently widely believed that the young goalkeeper would no longer have the chance to sign for the English Premier League side. However, if manager Thomas Tuchel could push for the move, he may well still seal the transfer this summer.