The Athletic: £25m Chelsea ace wanted by at least six clubs amid ‘gentleman’s agreement’

Chelsea could be set to field substantial transfer interest in one particular player this summer amid a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ over a potential departure.

Djordje Petrovic is back at his parent club following his loan spell at Strasbourg last season, although he’s not with the Blues’ squad at the Club World Cup, in which they take on Fluminense in the semi-finals tonight.

The Serbian goalkeeper has enjoyed two campaigns of regular top-flight football in England and France, but he faces an uncertain future as a number of suitors queue up to potentially take advantage.

Petrovic attracting much interest amid ‘gentleman’s agreement’ with Chelsea

In the latest Transfer DealSheet for The Athletic, which was published on Tuesday morning, Simon Johnson provided an update on where things currently stand with the 25-year-old.

Petrovic is being targeted by Sunderland following their promotion to the Premier League and also has interest from at least five other clubs.

Chelsea have a gentleman’s agreement in place with the goalkeeper which’d allow him to leave for a fee of £25m.

Should Maresca give Petrovic a chance at Chelsea next season?

Petrovic had enjoyed a prolonged spell in the Blues’ starting XI under Mauricio Pochettino in 2023/24, but whether he can dislodge Robert Sanchez over the coming months is another matter.

As per FBref, the Serbian actually had a better save percentage last season than Chelsea’s current number 1 (78.9% to 76.4%), along with far superior returns for pass completion (80.4% to 69.7%) and post-shot xG minus goals conceded (+9.9 to +1.7).

His ratio of goals conceded per 90 minutes was also significant better than Filip Jorgensen’s (1.23 to 1.5), as was his save percentage (the latter recorded 71.4%), which suggests that perhaps Enzo Maresca ought to give the 25-year-old a fair crack of the whip.

However, if it becomes apparent that Petrovic would struggle to displace Sanchez (who could be very difficult to drop if he helps the Blues to win the Club World Cup), then the Serbia international couldn’t be blamed for wanting to nail down a permanent starting berth elsewhere.

It appears likely that Chelsea won’t be short of offers for the Serbian this summer, should any of his numerous suitors come forward with a proposal which matches or exceeds the aforementioned £25m figure.

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