Chelsea look set to be unable to complete a deal for one of their summer transfer targets in attack as a major contract blow has been dealt on the eve of the January window. The Blues scoured the market in the summer to bring in extra reinforcements in attack but only added Raheem Sterling before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang eventually joined on deadline day.
Christopher Nkunku looks set to also become a Chelsea player too but that won't be until the summer after a pre-agreement was reached with the 25-year-old earlier this year. The RB Leipzig forward is just the start of a squad shake-up under Graham Potter but injuries across the team has seen the need for extra additions grow.
Armando Broja is out until the end of the season with an ACL injury whilst Ben Chilwell's balance at wingback will be missing for a while yet with his own knock. Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic both see their futures away from Stamford Bridge too, whilst the only fit centre forwards are 33-year-old Aubameyang and Kai Havertz who hasn't found his best position yet.
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It hasn't been for the want of trying under the new owners, with £250m spent on new players in the summer, but the squad looks no more cohesive than it did before which has created major challenges for Potter moving forward in the short-term. The summer outlay could have been much larger too after deals were cut off before completion.
One of these was a transfer for Everton starlet Anthony Gordon. The 21-year-old emerged as a surprise target for Thomas Tuchel after being watched closely in two matches against the Blues but nothing was done after the Toffees priced him out of a move with a massive £60m valuation.
football.london understands that Chelsea took steps to reduce that cost, including an initial fee of £25m plus add-ons but were still well short of the price desired. Gordon was keen on the move personally but had to remain at Goodison Park.
As a versatile and energetic attacker also capable of playing wingback the England Under-21 international was admired by Tuchel. Things have been quiet on that front since his departure though, and if Potter was hoping to bring him in then plans might have to be scrapped after the Telegraph report that he is close to signing a new deal.
Chelsea's 2023 looks set to be dominated by contracts. N'Golo Kante and Jorginho are running there's down ahead of a potential free move away whilst transfer target Rafael Leao is about to enter the final 18-months of his own deal. The Portuguese star was a late recipient of Chelsea's attention in the summer but his £127m release clause was deemed to steep.
However, with negotiations stalling, interest mounting and need growing, Leao is now a January possibility himself, though a serious attempt to sign him in the summer is still more likely. He is a completely different player to Gordon but would undoubtedly still fit into the squad well.
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