Chelsea are set to finalize a deal worth up to £14 million ($18m) for New England Revolution goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, sources have told ESPN.
The 23-year-old is expected to undergo a medical in the coming days ahead of a move worth an initial £12.5m plus a further £1.5m in add-ons.
Chelsea expect Petrovic to compete with Robert Sánchez for the No. 1 spot after letting Kepa Arrizabalaga to join Real Madrid on loan in addition to Edouard Mendy’s departure to Al Ahli.
Petrovic has made 43 appearances for the Revolution and replaced Matt Turner, who left the MLS to join Arsenal last summer before moving to Nottingham Forest earlier this month.
Chelsea also signed American goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina from the Chicago Fire last summer but sent him back on loan before agreeing a temporary switch for this season to Belgian Pro League side K.A.S Eupen.
But Chelsea will keep Petrovic with Mauricio Pochettino’s first-team squad given he only has Marcus Bettinelli — who is injured — and 20-year-old Lucas Bergstrom to call on. Bergstrom was on the bench in Chelsea’s opening two Premier League matches versus Liverpool and West Ham as Sanchez’s understudy.
The deal will take Chelsea’s spending to around £340m — already an all-time record in a single summer by any club in history.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United have signed defender Lewis Hall on a season-long loan from Chelsea, with an obligation to make the transfer permanent based on performance-related criteria, the Magpies announced on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old full-back has been at Chelsea since the age of eight. He made his senior debut at the club in January 2022, and has a total of 12 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions.
Hall is Newcastle’s fifth signing in this transfer window, and manager Eddie Howe is happy to add the youngster to his squad.
“He is a player we have tracked closely, as have a number of clubs, so it’s very pleasing to secure him and to add a player of his quality, versatility and high potential to our squad.”
The England under-21 international is a boyhood Newcastle fan and will wear the No. 20 shirt at his new club.
