Chelsea have already completed six transfers this month but could yet bring two more players into the club. Enzo Fernandez and Malo Gusto are set to be prominent names linked to the Blues in the coming days.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has claimed that Gusto will remain in France for the remainder of the season, while Benfica head coach Roger Schmidt has suggested he does not expect to lose Fernandez before the end of the month. The Blues could still offer another proposal for the World Cup winner, though when talks restarted last week, Benfica reaffirmed that they would require the player's release clause to part ways.
Of course, Chelsea have been linked to a plethora of other central midfield targets including Moises Caicedo and Edson Alvarez who they attempted to sign late in the summer transfer window. Nevertheless, Fernandez is a name that has extended across much of the month and the west London side's outward uncertainty over their commitment to landing the Argentina international has led to a degree of paucity elsewhere.
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There may be a consideration of leaving the deal until the summer but Chelsea could find themselves with greater competition. The club's willingness to move early presented a key advantage in trying to land the sought after star.
While the Blues have appeared free-spending, the uncertainty of whether they will make a midfield signing in turn leads to uncertainty of how they form their squad in the next six months. Chelsea's current position in the league table leaves their drawing power for the likes of Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice substantially weakened.
By not adding another midfielder this month, pressure will be added to making that summer purchase too and it would be no surprise to see a price hike. A midfield transition is underway but Chelsea's options will become limited the longer it takes.
Jorginho and N'Golo Kante will both see their contracts expire as things stand. A January move appears implausible and any bargaining power for the midfielders will be strengthened with no replacement found.
With Graham Potter's preference for three midfielders at the moment, two of which tend to form a base, a number of midfielders are required. Chelsea perhaps have seven plausible candidates at the moment including the above duo, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Denis Zakaria, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher.
Loftus-Cheek and Gallagher have both drawn interest this month with the latter already seeing the attempts of Newcastle and Crystal Palace rebuffed by Potter. Loftus-Cheek is believed to be content at Chelsea, a situation likely to be strengthened with no additional competition.
Mount and Kovacic both see their contracts set to expire in 2024, with a deal for the former being seen as a priority by the ownership earlier in the season. An agreement is yet to be forthcoming, and alongside Kovacic with no replacements and the possibility of Kante and Jorginho departing, the requirement to tie the pair down is only enhanced.
The Blues also have an option in the region of £26million for Denis Zakaria. The Swiss loanee had earned his way into Potter's starting XI before picking up an injury. A decision on whether the Blues want to activate that could be heavily determined by their midfield options come the end of May. Lacking a signing this month and with a number of uncertain futures that could prove tempting. With a substantial addition this month, perhaps the Blues can be more balanced in their assessment.
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