Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino may haunt Tottenham by poaching David Raya

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino could be poised to sting former club Tottenham by snapping up one of their priority targets ahead of Ange Postecoglou this summer, according to reports. The Blues have been the Premier League’s biggest spenders in the last two transfer windows and are widely expected to splash the cash again over the coming months to improve their ranks for the campaign ahead.

The goalkeeping position is believed to be an area of concern for Chelsea in advance of next season, with the futures of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy said to be uncertain as things stand. It was recently reported that both players had been put up for sale by Pochettino, who is said to be gearing up for a major reshuffle between the sticks over the coming weeks.

Inter Milan stopper Andre Onana has recently been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this summer, but the Evening Standard claims that he will not be joining the Blues after they dropped their initial early-stage interest in securing his signature. Their decision to overlook Onana could see Brentford wantaway David Raya emerge as a potential target, with the report claiming that the Spaniard is one of several options under consideration in west London.

Raya is widely expected to leave Brentford before the start of the new season and is thought to have no shortage of suitors from elsewhere in England, with some of the Premier League’s biggest clubs said to be keen on landing the 27-year-old. Manchester United have recently been credited with a desire to snap him up while Tottenham are thought to have identified him as a priority target to replace Hugo Lloris from next season onwards.

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It would certainly be an embarrassing blow for Tottenham if Raya ends up joining Chelsea to progress his career under the watchful eye of Pochettino, who famously managed them between 2014 and 2019 before taking up the top job with the Blues last month. That’s because Spurs have been publicly chasing Raya’s signature for some time but have so far baulked at his £40million price tag.

Brentford, meanwhile, have already signed Raya’s replacement by making an early move for Mark Flekken from Freiburg, which suggests that the Bees are resigned to losing their long-term goalkeeper before the new campaign gets underway. The Spanish international recently piled the pressure on Brentford to be realistic in their demands in order to help him leave the club in the near future.

Speaking to The Times whilst on international duty with Spain, Raya said: “I know there are rumours about me leaving. There are some options for me to go but obviously Brentford are asking for a lot of money. That could make clubs not want to buy me, it could make them look somewhere else.

“If that’s the value they give me then it’s up to them. I have a year left on my contract and until then I’m a Brentford player, there’s nothing I can do. I have ambitions to make the next step in my career. I want to try to win titles and to compete in Europe in the next couple of years.

“I’m 27 now and I feel like I’m at the point in my career when I want to make that step up. There are options out there but it’s not just my ambitions, the club also needs to let me go. I’m a professional, if I end up staying at Brentford I will always give my all, that’s my job. If I have to stay, I’ll try to have an even better season than last season.”

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