Chelsea's Xavi Simons transfer incentive laid bare amid Liverpool Florian Wirtz message

There is growing confidence from all parties that a deal can be struck for Xavi Simons to become a Chelsea player this summer. Talks between the Dutchman's representatives and the Blues have progressed well this week, football.london understands, with an agreement on personal terms thought to be getting closer.

The 22-year-old wants the move to Stamford Bridge and RB Leipzig are said to be open to selling him for the right price. The German club are reportedly chasing €65million (£56million) for Simons' services with the Blues now in direct talks over a fee. Simons has long been on the west Londoners' radar and it looks as if they are finally going to get their man.

In fact, Simons almost joined Chelsea as a kid after having a trial at Cobham, but a move never materialised, football.london understands. It is believed that Simons has always been a close follower of the Blues and they were his favourite team during his childhood when he used to watch the Premier League on his television.

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If Chelsea are to sign Simons - something that is looking like an increasing possibility - then the Blues will follow Liverpool in adding a playmaker from the Bundesliga. The Reds recently signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal that could eventually be worth up to as much as £116million - which would surpass Chelsea's £115million move for Moises Caicedo in 2023 and become the British record transfer fee.

Interestingly, though, Simons compares very similarly to Wirtz - and even better in some aspects - despite the Netherlands international set to cost less than half the price of the new Liverpool man. The two players are the same age as well, and are used in similar positions on the pitch.

Looking at the stats for the past three seasons in senior competitions for club and country, Simons has played more minutes than Wirtz (12,474 vs 10,287), while scoring three more goals (47 vs 44) and providing seven fewer assists (30 vs 37). Simons' total expected goals (xG) is 37.95 compared to Wirtz's 36.08, while the German boasts a marginally better pass accuracy (83% for Simons and 84% for Wirtz).

In the dribbling category, Simons trumps Wirtz. The Dutchman has a 54% successful take-on rate in comparison to the German's 52%. Simons is an incredible ball carrier and could well add another dimension to the Chelsea attacking line.

With the likes of Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Pedro Neto, Estevao Willian and Andrey Santos, Enzo Maresca has some really talented ball carriers at his disposal for the upcoming season. Adding Simons to this list would see a remarkable wealth of options in Maresca's arsenal.