Drapp and Chelsea are in-depth negotiations, close to setting personal terms

Turning Net, May 29th Transfer Reporter Ben Jacobs disclosed the key progress of Chelsea midfielder recruitment. The negotiations between 20-year-old Manchester City star Drapp and the Blues have entered the "personal terms final stage", and the 30 million pound termination fee is about to be activated, and a battle for the "future of England's midfielder" has entered a fierce battle.

Drapp's choice is dominated by two major factors: one is the "Champions League ticket" - Chelsea has locked in the top four this season to ensure a direct access to the Champions League group stage next season, which is crucial to him who is eager for "Golding in the World Cup". Data shows that in the last three England World Cup lineups, 92% of the players are from Champions League teams, and if Drapp plays with the Blues, his performance of "average of 2.1 steals + 85% pass success rate" (Champions League data) will get a higher exposure platform. The second is the "Maresca effect" - the Chelsea coach once coached Drapp in Manchester City's youth team, creating his "Box-to-Box" style of play. The tactical adaptability of the reunion of master and apprentice is regarded as a "transfer accelerator".

The transaction process demonstrates Chelsea's efficiency: After confirming Drapp's attitude of "deciding within this week", the Blues have prepared the transfer documents, and once the personal terms (weekly salary of about £60,000 + floating bonus) are finalized, the termination clause will be triggered immediately. This was two weeks ahead of the initial expectation of the "negotiation after the summer window opened" and aimed at avoiding the interception of Arsenal, Bayern and other teams (the latter had quoted £25 million).

Potential obstacle lies in schedule conflicts: England's U21 Europa League (ends on June 28) overlaps with the Club World Cup (finals on July 12). Chelsea hopes Drapp will be directly involved in pre-season preparations, but players are more inclined to represent the National Youth Team to compete for the championship (England U21 is the defending champion). In response to this, the Blues management is open-minded: "We respect the players' national team honors and will negotiate reasonable participation time with the FA."

For Manchester City, although it is a pity to lose the youth training treasure, the transfer fee of 30 million pounds set a record for U21 players selling (beyond Foden's 25 million stay in the team in 2020 to renew the contract valuation), and includes a 15% second transfer share clause, which is a successful case of "blood-making operation". Drapp's agent team revealed: "I chose Chelsea not only for the opportunity to play, but also believe that Maresca can train him into a 'new era all-round midfielder'." When Drapp practiced long shots on the training ground in Manchester, fans of Stamford Bridge began to look forward to his midfield combination with Enzo and Rice. If everything goes well, this young man, who Guardiola calls "the most like the peak Yaya Toure" may make his debut in the preseason in July, wearing the Blues' jersey - and his World Cup dream may be starting a new measure from the sods of West London.