Chances of ‘perfect’ Chelsea raid on Leeds revealed as hefty price tag for Whites star is named

Leeds United are unlikely to wilt easily and remain confident of retaining the services of Crysencio Summerville this summer, despite Mauricio Pochettino earmarking the flying winger as a summer target for Chelsea.

The Whites were relegated from the Premier League last season after a miserable year that saw them finish 19th and pick up just seven wins throughout the campaign. And despite their return to the second tier after just three years, a large number of their squad were quick to ditch Leeds and secure moves elsewhere, many of which were on loan deals owing to clauses in their deals.

But while several big names were quick to jump ship, one man who evaded all transfer attention and made clear his intentions to stay, were Dutch winger Summerville.

The 22-year-old initially moved to West Yorkshire in summer 2020 as a teenager from Feyenoord, former director of football Victor Orta paying the Eredivisie side £1.3m for the talented wideman.

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And while he initially had to bide his time for a chance in the side, Summerville knuckled down and honed his craft, learning from the likes of Raphinha, who became something of a mentor for the Dutchman.

Regular chances started to arrive in the autumn of 2022 under Jesse Marsch, with Summerville scoring the winner in a win at Liverpool, before netting too against Bournemouth and Tottenham ahead of the break for the World Cup.

And with relegation confirmed and a host of star men all departing, Summerville never once agitated to leave and has this season established himself as arguably the club’s most important player.

So far this season, Summerville has thrived under Daniel Farke, scoring 16 goals and adding eight assists in 32 matches so far.

Leeds confident of keeping their star man from Prem vultures

That has given Summerville a goal contribution every 1.3 games, underlining his qualities and importance to Leeds as they chase an immediate return to the Premier League.

Predictably, that has seen the player strongly linked with moves to clubs currently higher up the food chain with Liverpool, Newcastle and Aston Villa among his admirers.

However, this week TEAMtalk exclusively revealed that Chelsea are keeping a close watch on the player ahead of the summer window, with Pochettino very keen to bring the winger – who has been tipped to win a call-up with the Netherlands squad – to Stamford Bridge.

That said, if Leeds do win promotion, they will fancy their chances of keeping the player at Elland Road regardless of whether the Blues follow up on that initial interest with a firm bid.

And to strengthen their chances, former Whites midfielder Carlton Palmer, speaking to Football League World, has made clear that his former club would demand a seriously hefty price.

“Chelsea have identified Summerville from Leeds United as somebody they want to recruit in the summer,” he began.

They see him as a perfect addition to what is already a massive squad but the 22-year-old has been in sensational form this season, as Leeds are flying in the Championship.

“Of course, if Leeds get promoted to the Premier League – Chelsea is a huge club – but if he’s playing well under Daniel Farke, then surely he would want to stay.”

Chelsea told how much deal for Leeds star Summerville will cost

Palmer knows a massive offer could give Leeds something to think about and added: “But, at the end of the day, we all know that money talks, and should there be an unbelievable offer for Summerville, I think they will be forced to look at it.

“It’s going to be massive money and it seems like he’d like to stay, but Leeds are in a strong negotiating position because his contract doesn’t expire until 2026.

“There’s also no release clause in there. There was a buyout clause but it’s no longer active.

“There’s also solid interest from Liverpool, Aston Villa… so that’s only going to force the price up.

“I would think you’ll be looking at between £30m-£40m to get him out and for Leeds to sell him.

“But there’s still work to be done, Leeds need to get it (promotion) over the line and get back to the Premier League.

“If they don’t, then it’ll be a scramble for his signature. However, even if they do, he’s still going to be a hot commodity, but it’s going to take a lot of money to get him out of Leeds.”

Summerville is contracted to Leeds until summer 2026, but the Whites plan to offer him an extention and payrise in the summer should they secure a return to the Premier League.

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