Lewis Hamilton’s £40m move to Ferrari is said to have been left up in the air following Chelsea’s last-minute attempt to hijack the deal.
With Hamilton’s Mercedes contract due to expire at the end of the year, Paddy Power News understands Chelsea chief Todd Boehly has held secret talks with the F1 driver in a bid to tempt him to move to Stamford Bridge where he will be offered the number 9 shirt and made the poster boy of the west-London club.
“This is a really exciting signing for us and signals our intention to get back to the top,” said a source close to the Chelsea owner.
“Did you know Hamilton has 8 million Twitter followers and once hit speeds of 255mph? Premier League defenders are already running scared I bet. We have no doubt he’ll be a big hit playing up top for us. The next eh, Dido Dragback or John Lucky Valli, perhaps?”
With Hamilton having absolutely no top-level football experience and being 38 years old, questions have been raised about the potential transfer.
“This doesn’t fit in with our recent strategy of signing every young player in Europe,’ one fan stated when asked about the move outside Stamford Bridge today.
“Or the strategy of most clubs of signing actual professional footballers,” he continued.
However, Chelsea bosses are convinced it is the right approach.
“Sometimes you need to think outside the box and do what is in the best interests of the club off the pitch as well as on it.”
“And, to be fair, Lewis could spend the 90 minutes doing wheelies on his scooter in the carpark and still have a more positive impact than Mudryk, Aubameyang and Havertz.”
And the club also foresees additional benefits to signing the global motorsports superstar.
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“He brings fashion and street cred to the club too. Have you seen some of his clobber? They’ll all be wearing Louis Vuitton two-pieces down The Shed end if Lewis is on the books,” continued the source.
Though Chelsea are now the front runners to sign Hamilton, international reports suggest there is still an outside chance he could join the Fiat 500 team who have been in touch with his representatives.
Whilst they cannot match the $40m on the table from Ferrari or the prestige of living in West London, they are believed to be offering free delivery for life on all Boohoo orders over the value of £25, which does merit consideration.
*Paddy Power’s football coverage is 100% fake news. Honest.
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