RB Leipzig close to agreement to sign striker Marc Guiu from Chelsea

German club RB Leipzig are close to reaching an agreement in principle with Chelsea for the transfer of striker Marc Guiu.

A deal has not yet been completed but there is an expectation on all sides that the move will go through.

The Athletic reported on July 7 that Guiu is expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer. The club initially sought a fee of around £25million in any permanent deal before lowering their valuation earlier this week.

Guiu was not included in the travelling squad for Chelsea’s pre-season tour by Xabi Alonso, with the striker not in the head coach’s plans.

The 20-year-old made just eight Premier League appearances for Chelsea last season, after having his loan spell with Sunderland cut short after less than a month due to his parent club’s centre-forward crisis. He only started once in the league for Chelsea last campaign.

Guiu is set to become the third striker to leave Chelsea in this window, after Nicolas Jackson and Liam Delap joined Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest respectively.

Joao Pedro established himself as Chelsea’ first-choice striker in his debut season, while Emmanuel Emegha and Danny Welbeck have arrived at the club this summer.

Guiu signed a six-year contract upon joining Chelsea from Barcelona in July 2024, after the Premier League club activated a €6million release clause in his contract. He has since made 29 appearances, scoring eight times, and played a prominent role in the 2024-25 Conference League campaign before a hamstring injury ruled him out of the knockout phase.

He played just seven times for Barcelona’s first team after coming through the club’s La Masia academy.

Last summer, Chelsea turned down offers from clubs looking to buy the striker, with a preference to loan him to another English club. He played just twice for Sunderland before he was recalled.