Chelsea look set to be one of the busiest clubs in January as Todd Boehly plans to start a squad overhaul early for Graham Potter.
The Blues only play one more match before the winter window opens and then they will be free to get down to business again, just months after the new owners went on a huge £250m spending spree for Thomas Tuchel.
Potter is likely to get his own war chest of funds to revamp the squad which has shown its cracks once more as the Blues slumped to a run of just two points from five matches in the league ahead of the World Cup break. It is already expected that a move for Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez will take place after a failed move in the summer, whilst other 2023 targets may be brought forward a window too.
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The midfield is the main area for concern, especially with Jorginho and N'Golo Kante both able to agree a deal to leave for free in the summer on January 1. Even without such a pressing issue, the central area has created havoc for both Tuchel and Potter this season with no defensive shield in the squad and fitness issues making a selection headache week-on-week.
Having spent so much already this year there will have to be some leverage, and Hakim Ziyech's possible sale may account for that, but in order to raise extra funds the Blues could be tempted to sell one of their assets early in order to generate more money.
According to La Repubblica this is the plan with Kante. At 31 he is past his peak and has played less than 50% of matches since forcing himself through the pain barrier in the Europa League final. He is one of the biggest earners at the club and a new deal doesn't appear realistic on terms that both parties would accept.
The Italian outlet report that Inter Milan and Juventus are both interested in the Frenchman. He isn't heading to the World Cup due to a hamstring injury sustained in the second game of the season and hasn't played since, he is also not expected to be back until March at least.
Tottenham are also said to be interested, with Antonio Conte the man to bring him to Stamford Bridge initially in 2016. Although selling him to a rival is unlikely, Chelsea could be prepared to let him go at a cut-price in January in order to not only generate some money, but also allow him time to settle in Italy before getting back on the pitch.
As the weeks go on it becomes less and less likely that he will be remaining at SW6, and Blues fans would surely prefer to see him in the less intense environment of Serie A than marauding around a pitch for Conte again.
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