Chelsea are now close to completing the signing of Rayo Vallecano defender Pep Chavarria, according to GIVEMESPORT sources, as details emerge about the agreement.

Chelsea‘s squad strength in depth is well known but it hasn’t stopped them backing new manager Xabi Alonso in the transfer market this summer.

Eight new players have already arrived through the door at Stamford Bridge, including four players with big Premier League experience in Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix.

Valentin Barco, Marco Palestra, Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda are the other new players coming in, but the Blues aren’t finished there as they look to give Alonso the strongest squad possible to push up the Premier League table again next season.

The west London outfit have a big opportunity to do that without the distraction of European football, just as Manchester United did when they ended up in third place last term.

Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Australia has been a mixed bag of results so far, with a 6-4 win against the Western Sydney Wanderers being followed up by a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, who have also been one of the busiest Premier League clubs in terms of incoming signings.

Chelsea Finalising £16.3m Pep Chavarria Deal

According to GMS sources on Wednesday morning, Chelsea are now finalising a deal worth €19m (£16.3m) plus add-ons for Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavarria, as they look to secure another summer signing for Xabi Alonso.

The 28-year-old has made 125 appearances for the Spanish club, scoring twice and registering eight assists, and provides extra competition in the position following the exit of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid.

Chelsea’s current left-back options include Jorrel Hato, while Reece James and Malo Gusto have shown they can also play there if needed, but the addition of Chavarria was much-needed.

Chelsea Players Linked With Exits

via Reuters

As new players continue to arrive at Stamford Bridge, it is natural that others could be on their way out of the club before the September 1 deadline.

Nicolas Jackson is a target for Aston Villa and an enquiry has been made by Unai Emery’s men for the Senegal international, according to GMS sources, but talk of interest from Tottenham Hotspur has been played down elsewhere.

Fabrizio Romano claims that Blues winger Pedro Neto is also a back-up option for Spurs if they fail to land preferred winger targets Savinho and Cody Gakpo from Manchester City and Liverpool respectively, with City themselves keen on Neto too.

Newcastle United have made contact with Benfica over a deal to sign midfielder Richard Rios to replace Bruno Guimaraes, according to Football Insider.

The Magpies have undergone a major summer of change so far in this window with Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali already sold, Eddie Howe resigning from his position as manager, and captain Guimaraes on the brink of a mega-money move to Arsenal.

The club have already brought in Ewen Jaouen, Bazoumana Toure, Seun Steur, Aladji Bamba, and Lukas Hornicek to try and replace those stars, and now new manager Matthias Jaissle could be set to welcome another star to the squad.

Rios, who has been described as ‘world-class’ by Jurgen Klopp, made the move to join Benfica from Palmeiras in the summer of 2025 after an impressive run of performances at the Club World Cup.

The Colombian made 45 appearances for the Portuguese side, scoring eight goals, in his first season, and those performances have attracted the attention of the Magpies as they look to rebuild their team.

The 26-year-old is someone who has been identified as a target by the Toon, and they have now made a preliminary move to accelerate their interest in signing a new central midfielder.

It’s understood that Rios would be considered as a direct replacement for the Brazil international, with his powerful style and ability to win possession back a huge benefit to what Newcastle need.

It’s unclear how much a deal would cost, or whether either of Rios or Benfica are open to a deal, but Newcastle are looking to make their move in the final weeks of the window to ensure they are able to be competitive in the 2026/27 season.

Newcastle Need a Statement Signing

REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari via Action Images

Newcastle’s business up to this point in the transfer window has clearly had one eye on the future, rather than winning immediately. But with the captain and leader of the group on the move, alongside stars who have already left, they need instant quality.

Rios has got plenty of experience at the top level, having been capped 37 times for Colombia since 2023, and his performances at the World Cup this summer showed he is capable of being a quiet leader too.

Newcastle need a statement signing to be made in the final weeks to get the fans back onside, but also to show the players still there that they have every intention of continuing to compete and challenge, rather than slipping away.

The dust has barely settled on the 2026 World Cup, but headlines continue to rage on in relation to FIFA’s biggest competition. President Gianni Infantino has sparked major controversy with his plans to privatise the tournament.

Putting that to one side, FIFA may have another headache coming their way in relation to the 2030 World Cup. As things stand, six teams are in line to host the competition. The three main hosts are Spain, Portugal and Morocco, but Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will each host one game.

As such, fans will be able to watch action in Europe, Africa and South America. This is because the tournament will mark the 100th anniversary of the very first World Cup, which was held in Uruguay. Montevideo, the host city for the 1930 final, is expected to host a dedicated centenary ceremony.

However, two host nations appear to be against the idea of sharing the tournament with another.

Spanish Political Party Question Morocco as World Cup Hosts

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

As reported by Spanish outlet 20Minutos, a bill has been put forward with the intention of convincing FIFA to stop Morocco from co-hosting the World Cup. The report explains that political party Sumar have presented a bill in Spain’s Congress to question the 2030 World Cup plan following the Ceuta migration crisis due to “serious human rights violations”.

The bill has been signed by three members of parliament from United Left (within Sumar) and a fourth member of parliament from the group in the Lower House. It urges the Spanish Government to formally inform FIFA, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Portuguese Executive of “the need to carry out a specific review and evaluation of the current joint organisation model” of the sporting event.

It emphasises that the organisation mobilises “public resources, commits state guarantees, conditions investments and infrastructures and projects the host countries internationally” and that this obliges those who participate in its organisation to ” effective and continuous respect for human rights, international law and the democratic principles that must govern the actions of public authorities.”

The hope is that, by activating the institutional mechanisms provided by FIFA, a review of the “risks to human rights in host countries” can be carried out and submitted to Congress within six months. Sumar also want an assessment of the “impact of the events that occurred at the Ceuta border on the human rights commitments linked to the tournament” along with proposals for additional action if “serious” breaches of the international and human rights commitments assumed by any of the host countries are proven.

Finally, Sumar advocates for a reform of FIFA’s procedures for awarding and monitoring major competitions, which would include the chance to review or even withdraw host status when “serious” human rights breaches occur.

Portugal’s Green Party Also Speaks Out

REUTERS/Henry Romero

Adding to this, there are those within Portugal who are also against Morocco in light of the Ceuta migration crisis, which has seen an estimated 72,000 migrants cross the border into the Spanish territory in North Africa, resulting in at least 141 confirmed deaths.

The Green Party of Portugal, Livre, have sent a letter to the government of its country (centre-right) and to their Football Federation requesting Morocco’s withdrawal following the migration crisis. A press release stated:

The statement also requested a “re-evaluation of the participation” of the African country. In response to the Ceuta crisis, Livre added:

“This event confirms that there are no political conditions or guarantees of security and loyal cooperation between Morocco and Spain and Portugal to maintain this joint organisation.”