Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Charles Aranguiz, Robert Kenedy Rumours

Chelsea will face competition from Premier League rivals Leicester City in the race to sign Charles Aranguiz, and the Foxes are already talking directly to the Internacional board in order to iron out a deal.

Brazilian football expert Zizouology shared this image through his Twitter account, confirming the presence of Leicester City representative Anderson Perry during a meeting regarding the Chilean midfielder:

According to Metro.co.uk's Simon Osborn, Leicester City have made a £10.6 million offer to Internacional for Aranguiz, one of the stars of this year's Copa America. The 26-year-old has also been linked with the Blues.

Aranguiz was a relatively unknown player before this year's Copa America, where he quickly established himself as one of Chile's most pivotal players. The powerful and versatile midfielder combined with Arturo Vidal to give the hosts arguably the top midfield duo in the tournament, ultimately leading the team to the title.

Immediately after the conclusion of the Copa America, transfer speculation went rampant.

Aranguiz seems more than ready to make the step up to a big European team, and given his age, there's no time like the present. According to WhoScored.com's Daniel Busch, Bayer Leverkusen seemed the early favourites to win the race after they came to an agreement with the player.

Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe believed the move would have been an excellent one for both club and player:

No club has been able to offer Internacional a transfer fee they deem worthy of his services, however, and this is where Leicester City come in. The Foxes have money to spend thanks to the Premier League's new TV deal, and they need to find a replacement for Esteban Cambiasso in a hurry.

Leicester may not be the most appealing destination for Aranguiz, who is already 26 and needs to make his mark at a top club now, but unlike Chelsea, the Foxes would be able to offer him a guaranteed starting position.

The Blues are loaded in central midfield―it's hard to see Aranguiz finally moving to Europe only to spend the next few years warming the bench for Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas.

Leverkusen remain the favourites to land Aranguiz, however. The Germans routinely challenge for silverware and provided the perfect landing spot for compatriot Vidal when he made the move from Colo-Colo in 2007.

According to DW Sports, Vidal has also been involved in Aranguiz's proposed move to the Bundesliga.

Work Permit Issues Persist for Robert Kenedy

Robert Kenedy's debut for Chelsea against Barcelona in the International Champions Cup was a success, but as reported by the Daily Express' Steve Brenner, it's still unclear when the Blues will be able to finalise his transfer move.

There are still issues with his work permit, although manager Jose Mourinho is confident those will be resolved soon:

"

New FA work permit rules appear to make it difficult for the Brazilian to sign for Chelsea as he is yet to make an appearance for the national team despite having played for the U17s and U20s.

Mourinho, however, is hopeful Kenedy can become part of his squad.

"We bought Kenedy because we believe in him. He's a very young kid that we believe a lot in, hopefully," he said.

"We have conditions to get him a work permit because we want him. We don't want him to go out on loan, I think we have what the rules demand to get him a permit.

"

Current club Fluminese have allowed the Brazilian youngster to spend pre-season with the Blues, who are believed to have secured a £6.3 million move for his services. But while he's been training with his new team-mates for weeks now, the transfer still hasn't been made official.

The 19-year-old forward, who can play out wide or move inside as a striker, finally got his debut for the club against UEFA Champions League winners Barcelona on Tuesday.

He's still a raw prospect but made a great impression against the Blaugrana, as shared by the Wall Street Journal's Jake Cohen:

Chelsea TV's Tommy Langley (h/t Chelsea HQ) was so impressed he is willing to resort to rather dubious methods to make sure the youngster obtains his work permit:

In all likelihood, Kenedy's work permit is something the club should be able to figure out before long, at which point the focus will shift to what to do with the youngster. He seemed destined to leave the club on loan before his performance against Barcelona, which suggested he may actually be ready to contribute right now.

If Kenedy continues to impress in training and pre-season, don't be shocked if Mourinho decides to keep him at Stamford Bridge. He's versatile enough to play most positions in attack, and that kind of depth is always valuable.

Follow @ReverschPass