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).

RB Leipzig have named Xavi Simons in their training camp squad that will travel to Donaueschingen today. Despite this, Philipp Hinze reports that talks between Simons’ entourage and Chelsea are

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.