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Chelsea Transfer Rumours: Midfielder ready to leave, Hunt for Portuguese forward, Brazilian attacker on the radar
Reports suggest that Juventus are monitoring N’Golo Kante’s situation at Chelsea in an attempt to bolster their midfield. The Bianconeri head up a list of three Serie A clubs interested in bringing the 31-year-old midfielder in should he not stay at the London club beyond this campaign.
N’Golo’s deal situation is something the new owners at the Stamford Bridge would be wise to sort very soon, and the signs have suggested that they are looking to do so. However, their current efforts have so far been failures, with Kante currently unable to accept the latest offer from Todd Boehly to keep him at Chelsea.
With the obvious quality that France international has, it is no surprise that several teams have seemingly registered interest in bringing him in if the situation arises. PSG are one of the teams who have reportedly reached out to the French midfielder, with the longer he doesn’t sign a new deal opening up more speculation over his future.
Serie A clubs are also interested in forging a deal, with Juventus leading the pursuit. The Old Lady are notably good at picking up free agents, with them picking up Paul Pogba for the second time over the summer.
However, N’Golo’s international teammate has had his return to the club stunted by an injury, which has left him unable to make his professional debut. With Jorginho’s future also uncertain, Chelsea would be making a massive mistake by not keeping hold of Kante, with his importance on show in the brief time he has been fit this campaign.
Chelsea are interested in securing the services of Milan star Rafael Leao. The 23-year-old winger has been a standout footballer for the Rossoneri, who won a long-awaited Serie A title in 2021-22. Leao impressed throughout the season and even won the Most Valuable Player award in the Italian top flight last campaign.
A dynamic dribbler who is a handful to deal with, Rafael has frightening potential that can be unlocked by the right manager. Primarily a left-winger, Portugal international is also capable of leading the line and has proven time and again that he is a clinical finisher.
This augurs well for the London giants, who lack bite in the front line. The Blues have not just let centre-forwards Romelu Lukaku (On loan), and Timo Werner leave but also have a plethora of underwhelming wingers with bloated reputations in their ranks.
The Blues were linked with the Portuguese forward last summer, but a move did not materialise. Chelsea have not yet thrown in the towel and are ready to reignite their pursuit of the Portuguese. The Blues look set to return for the footballer as Milan look to keep hold of their star man.
Rafael’s deal at Milan expires in 2024, and Milan are keen to see him pen an extension. As things stand, Milan are yet to match the player’s wage demands of nearly €7m per season. Unless they do so, the footballer’s future is likely to be in the air with the Blues circling.
PSG are reportedly eyeing up a move for RB Leipzig star Christopher Nkunku as a possible replacement for Neymar. Brazil international is expected to leave the Parisians at the end of the campaign for a move to the PL, and Nkunku is being eyed up to replace the attacker at the Parc des Princes.
This seems like a possible blow for the Blues, with the report linking Nkunku as a target for the London giants not so long ago, though it stays to be seen if he’s still a priority for them after they signed Aubameyang from Barcelona at the end of this summer.
It would be intriguing to see the Brazilian in the PL, and perhaps he could even end up being an option for the Blues at some point. The report doesn’t name a specific destination for him at the moment. Nkunku, meanwhile, has been on fire in the Bundesliga in recent times and looks perfect for PSG if they do end up losing a big name like Neymar.
The London giants will have to see how their current attacking footballers perform this campaign now that Graham Potter has come in as coach, as supporters will no doubt hope he can do more to get the best out of the current forwards they have.
In future, though, Christopher Nkunku could make sense as a good option for them again, though it stays to be seen if France international would favour a return to his former club over joining Chelsea.
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Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Chelsea smashed six goals past the Championship team as they booked their spot in next month’s Carabao Cup final.
The Blues trailed 1-0 from the first-leg, but the Premier League side made no mistake in Tuesday’s second-leg.
Chelsea took the lead through a Jonny Howson own-goal, with Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi and Cole Palmer scoring before the break.
Palmer bagged his second goal of the night to add his side’s fifth as Noni Madueke completed the rout.
After the match, Manchester United legend Carrick spoke glowingly about Palmer, calling him a ‘real talent’ in high praise.
“He is a real talent. Nice lad as well. Down to Earth and you can see when you come up against him he will go on to have a great career. It’s not nice when you are on the end of it but we can appreciate and respect how good he is,” he said via The Mirror.
Mauricio Pochettino echoed Carrick’s sentiment and hailed the 21-year-old’s ability to play anywhere in the forward line.
“He is a player with an amazing talent. It is a player that understands the game. He has the quality and the talent to see the situation and to read the game in another aspect,” he added.
“He can play from the right, striker or in behind the striker. We try to give him freedom because in this type of game he can find the best position to help the team. For me, [the best part] is when he presses and then the intuition to get the ball back.”
Palmer, who joined the Stamford Bridge outfit from Manchester City last summer, has been in brilliant form this season, scoring 11 goals in all competitions.
However, the national media picked out another Chelsea star as Matt Law of The Telegraph wrote about Ben Chilwell’s importance.
“What a difference a left-back makes. This was not just Ben Chilwell’s first start since September, it was the first time he started in his preferred position all season,” he said.
“And how Chelsea have missed him. Wearing the captain’s armband, Chilwell looked like he had never been away and sent a message to Mauricio Pochettino to give up on playing him as a winger.”
Chilwell started his first game for four months as he starred on the left-hand side in Chelsea’s victory over Boro.
The 27-year-old has only managed nine appearances in all competitions this season, having been blighted with injuries.
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Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
The latest Chelsea and Arsenal transfer news as the striker has been linked with a move to the Premier League after impressing for Napoli.
Napoli striker Victor Osimhen has said that his full concentration is on helping Nigeria go as far as they can in the Africa Cup of Nations amid talk over his future.
Arsenal and Chelsea are among the teams to have been linked with an interest in the 25-year-old. football.london understands that Chelsea wanted to sign Osimhen in the summer , but Napoli’s reluctance to part ways with the player meant that attention was turned to Nicolas Jackson instead.
Mikel Arteta is likely to want to add to his striking options when the summer transfer window opens. Osimhen has been touted as a potential target.
The striker’s contract with Napoli expires in 2025, meaning that the summer could be one of the last chances that Napoli have to get a decent fee for the player if he doesn’t sign a new deal with the club. That has led to speculation that he could be on the move sooner rather than later.
Osimhen is currently on international duty with Nigeria who have secured their place in the knockout stages of the Africa Cup of Nations. It’s while representing his country that he addressed the talk over his future.
“I have to respect my contract,” he told the Guardian. “Whatever happens in the summer everybody will know. For now I am at the Afcon and I am focused on that.”
Osimhem’s goalscoring record for Napoli makes it no surprise that he continues to be linked with a transfer away from the club. Since joining from Lille in the summer of 2020 he has scored 67 times in 119 appearances for the club.
So far this season, he has scored eight times in 18 appearances in all competitions. The striker’s international record is even more impressive with him finding the net 20 times in 27 appearances for Nigeria, including the equaliser in the nation’s 1-1 draw against Equatorial Guinea in their opening AFCON game.
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Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
The latest Chelsea news as we take a closer look at the fixtures on the horizon for Mauricio Pochettino’s men as they look to climb the Premier League table.
Chelsea booked their place in the Carabao Cup final on Tuesday night as they came from behind to comfortably beat Championship side Millwall.
Michael Carrick’s side were leading 1-0 after the first leg at the Riverside Stadium, but Chelsea quickly settled any nerves that may have been around in the stands at Stamford Bridge. An early own goal by Jonny Howson was followed by strikes from Enzo Fernandez, Axel Disasi, and Cole Palmer to put Chelsea 4-0 up on the night at half time.
It got better in the second half as Palmer scored his second of the game before Noni Madueke made it 6-0. Middlesbrough grabbed a consolation through Morgan Rogers in the 88th minute.
After booking their place at Wembley eyes now turn to the upcoming fixtures in both the Cup and the Premier League. Chelsea sit in ninth place in the table, 12 points off a top-four spot, a good run of form could see that gap quickly close before the end of the season.
As well as fixtures ahead of Chelsea, eyes could be on who others around them in the table are taking on. With that in mind football.london has taken a look at the next five fixtures coming up for Chelsea and the other clubs looking towards the top four and the European places.
Aston Villa (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Liverpool (A) January 31
The most difficult fixture of the run, on paper, with Liverpool currently leading the Premier League table. Jurgen Klopp’s side are four points clear of Man City in second, but Pep Guardiola’s team do have a game in hand.
The reverse fixture back in August finished in a 1-1 draw. Axel Disasi equalised in the first half after Luis Diaz’s opener.
Wolves (H) February 4
Chelsea don’t have long to wait to try and avenge the Boxing Day loss against Wolves. Goals from Mario Lemina and Matt Doherty saw the Blues fall to a 2-1 loss with Christopher Nkunku grabbing a 96th-minute goal.
Wolves have been praised for their performances under Gary O’Neil so far this season. They sit in 11th place, three points behind Chelsea in the table.
Crystal Palace (A) February 12
Crystal Palace are a team struggling to find their form with pressure growing on manager Roy Hodgson. They fell to a 5-0 loss against Arsenal in their last outing, leaving them in 15th place in the Premier League table, five points clear of the bottom three.
Noni Madueke’s 89th-minute penalty saw Chelsea come out as 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture on December 27.
Man City (A) February 17
Another difficult game on paper for Chelsea as Man City look to close the gap on Liverpool at the top of the table. The reverse fixture back in November was a memorable one for fans of both clubs as well as neutrals.
Cole Palmer’s 97th-minute penalty saw the game end in a 4-4 draw. Chelsea came from behind on three occasions to take a point.
Manchester United fixtures (current position 8th, 32 points)
Newport County (A) 28 January (FA Cup)
Wolves (A) 1 February
West Ham (H) 4 February
Aston Villa (A) 11 February
Luton Town (A) 18 February
Brighton fixtures (current position 7th, 32 points)
Sheffield United (A) 27 January (FA Cup)
Luton Town (A) 30 January
Crystal Palace (H) 3 February
Tottenham (A) 10 February
Sheffield United (A) 18 February
West Ham fixtures (current position 6th, 35 points)
Bournemouth (H) 1 February
Man United (A) 4 February
Arsenal (H) 11 February
Nottingham Forest (A) 17 February
Brentford (H) 26 February
Tottenham fixtures (current position 5th, 40 points)
Man City (H) 26 January (FA Cup)
Brentford (H) 31 January
Everton (A) 3 February
Brighton (H) 10 February
Wolves (H) 17 February
Aston Villa fixtures (current position 4th, 43 points)
Chelsea (A) 26 January (FA Cup)
Newcastle (H) 30 January
Sheffield United (A) 3 February
Man United (H) 11 February
Fulham (A) 17 February
Michael Carrick singles out one Chelsea player following the 6-1 defeat, but the national media disagrees
Victor Osimhen breaks silence on his future amid Chelsea and Arsenal striker transfer hunt
Chelsea’s next five fixtures compared to Man United, Tottenham and Aston Villa in top four race
Confirmed Chelsea line up vs Newcastle : Palmer, Jackson, Sterling Start as Nkunku seat on the bench
