Chelsea have stepped up their pursuit of RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons, sources have told ESPN. The 21-year-old is open to joining the Premier League club and Leipzig are willing to sell despite only signing Simons on a permanent basis in January for an initial fee of €50 million ($58.8m).

Voetbal International’s Joost Blaauwhof has emphasised that Xavi Simons is on his way from RB Leipzig. Chelsea are very interested in the Dutch international, who has a release clause in his

RB Leipzig are thought to be demanding a final fee of at least €70 million (£60.8 million, $82.1 million)—which would take Chelsea’s total outlay this summer to north of €300 million (£260.4 million, $351.9 million), comparable to the record-breaking figures bandied around by Liverpool.