Chelsea are poised to sign Brighton & Hove Albion’s Facundo Buonanotte on loan after the attacking midfielder’s proposed move to Leeds United collapsed at the final hour.
Leeds had been confident of securing the Argentina international, having booked a flight and a medical for his arrival in West Yorkshire on Thursday. However, Buonanotte never boarded the plane as talks between Leeds and Brighton broke down. The proposed loan would have helped the player secure homegrown status from January.
Now, Chelsea appear to have hijacked the deal and are expected to complete the signing. Last season, Buonanotte scored six goals and provided three assists in 35 appearances during a loan spell at Leicester City.
The move comes as Chelsea continues its search for an attacking midfielder. The club had previously shown interest in RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons, who has since agreed to join Tottenham Hotspur, and Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez. Their pursuit of a new attacker is heightened by the expected departure of Christopher Nkunku to AC Milan.
This transfer would further strengthen the well-established connection between Chelsea and Brighton. In recent seasons, Moises Caicedo, Robert Sanchez, and Marc Cucurella have all moved from the Amex Stadium to Stamford Bridge, as did former manager Graham Potter and his backroom staff. Joao Pedro also made the same switch earlier this summer.
Furthermore, another Brighton player, Julio Enciso, is reportedly in discussions for a move to Strasbourg, the French club also owned by Chelsea’s parent company, BlueCo, which could facilitate a future transfer to the London club.
The collapse of the Buonanotte deal leaves Leeds United scrambling for offensive reinforcements before the transfer deadline on Monday at 7pm BST. Manager Daniel Farke has publicly stated his desire to strengthen his attack, with Bilal El Khannouss, Dilane Bakwa, Eduard Spertsyan, and Manor Solomon among the club’s other known targets.
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