Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall transfer to Chelsea: ‘Contact made’, Enzo Maresca influence, PSR impact

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall could be in line for a reunion with Enzo Maresca after Chelsea reportedly made contact with Leicester City over a move for the midfielder.

The 25-year-old’s future is one of the big stories of the summer, with City needing sales to comply with financial rules and the homegrown midfielder their most lucrative asset. Athletic report that Chelsea have discussed a possible deal with City.

An offer has yet to be submitted, but a big money offer would be considered. Brighton held talks with City over Dewsbury-Hall in January and it was believed at the time that City wanted north of £30million for the academy graduate.

READ MORE: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall drops ‘never-said’ hint about Leicester City’s future

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The midfielder himself said this week that he is happy at City, loves everything about the club and has not indicated he wants to leave. He has also suggested that he is not in full control of his own future, with Athletic indicating that a move to Chelsea would be the only thing that would convince him to leave the King Power Stadium.

“I’ve been here since I was a kid,” he told BBC Sport. “I love everything about the club. I grew up and managed to play in the first team. I’m happy.

“I never said I wanted to leave. That kind of stuff is not up to me. You never know with football. The season is about to start, so we’ll see.”

Despite needing to strengthen their squad to improve their chances of Premier League survival, City will need to sell this summer. They risk breaching the EFL’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and to avoid this would need a sale before the end of Sunday June 30, when the accounts for the year close.

But beyond that, the sales are necessary to finance the transfer business and to avoid the risks of further PSR violations. It would be difficult to get a deal done with Chelsea before Monday, but not being done wouldn’t mean the transfer wouldn’t go ahead. Dewsbury-Hall’s future will be in doubt until the end of the transfer window.

No wonder he would want to hook up with Maresca again. Dewsbury-Hall registered a total of 26 goals and assists under the Italian as City won the Championship last season, his most productive year by far.

The midfielder is one of the City players who praised Maresca’s tactical intelligence and said the team felt “stupid” when he first arrived, that was the perception he was giving. Even this week, he praised Chelsea’s new boss.

He told BBC Sport: “Enzo was an incredible manager. I can really see him becoming a top manager so it was no surprise to see him in demand.”

Dewsbury-Hall also said he was “positive” about the appointment of Steve Cooper. The pair had a chance meeting in Seagrave last week when the Welshman was first appointed as the town’s new boss.

But Cooper may not get the chance to work with Dewsbury-Hall. Should he complete the move to Stamford Bridge, he would be the fifth City player in nine summers to make the switch, following in the footsteps of N’Golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana.

How much should City ask Chelsea for Dewsbury-Hall? Let us know in the comments section below.