Chelsea sit back as transfer battle set to make them even more profit

Chelsea could be in line for an even bigger profit with no legwork, as former Blue Omari Hutchinson looks to be on the move this summer.

The attacking midfielder joined Ipswich Town on loan in the summer of 2023, before making the deal permanent for £22million last year. Now, there are five clubs across Europe interested in the young star, with bids of £35m lodged by Brentford and RB Leipzig in July.

Nottingham Forest, Evertonand European giants Inter Milan have now all registered interest in Hutchinson, as per The Sun, and Ipswich will be hoping to create a bidding war for his services. The Bees look set to return with an improved offer of £37.5m, but other clubs could jump in before this, with West Ham, Fulham and Borussia Dortmund all said to be keen.

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The Blues inserted a 25 per cent sell-on clause for Hutchinson, meaning they will pocket a quarter of any transfer fee Ipswich gain for him. It's believed that Chelseaalso have first refusal on the player if another club attempts to sign him, with the player having the ultimate say.

The 21-year-old, who only made two appearances for Chelsea, looks likely to leave the Tractor Boys this summer with 82 appearances across all competitions. Hutchinson scored 14 goals and assisted eight times for the club, but could not stop their relegation from the Premier League during the 2024/25 season.

Ipswich's Championship status could well be a pivotal reason that the young midfielder wants to move on, given his previous comments on playing at the top level. Speaking to the East Anglian Daily Times in March, Hutchinson said: "It's a dream come true for me to play in the Premier League, facing the biggest teams in the world.

"All I’ve tried to do is perform as best as I can. There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but I think it builds character for me and the team as well."

The 21-year-old also boosted his own value with his performance at the Euro Under-21s this summer, featuring in all six matches for England. Hutchinson scored the second goal in the Young Lions' 3-2 victory over Germany in the final, cementing his position as a promising talent both domestically and internationally.

Discussing Hutchinson's omission from their pre-season preparations, Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna admitted that the club will do their best to look after his mental state during the potential transfer battle.

After the player didn't travel to France for the club's friendly against Auxerre, McKenna said: "Omari, with the speculation around his future at the moment, he didn't feel mentally in the right place to come for the game.

"It's a challenging situation for everyone. He’s a player that we love and we support and we have empathy with, with the year that he’s been through and this important moment in his career.

"We’ll keep working and communicating on that situation as well and hopefully it’ll be the best resolution for the club and for the player."