Chelsea’s slow start to the Premier League season under Xabi Alonso has set the rumour mill spinning apace, with speculation as to their January targets rife.
That comes in spite of their typically heavy summer spend, which saw the likes of Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra added to Xabi Alonso’s ranks, at great expense.
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Even still, it appears further defensive and midfield reinforcements may be needed, as the Blues struggle to plug their leaky back line.
With that in mind, w take a look at the biggest Chelsea transfer rumours of the day...
Summer transfer regret
Chelsea will live to regret their decision not to sign Manu Kone this summer.
The France international was considered as a late-window replacement for the Man City-bound Enzo Fernandez, but neglected to make a move after club officials made clear he was not for sale given the insufficient time to find a replacement.
And new reports from Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport suggest the Giallorossi have ratcheted up their asking price. At one stage of the summer, it was reported he could have been available for just €50m (£42.9m), but that has now doubled to €100m (£85.9m).
Chelsea challenge European giants for Gambian wonderkid
Chelsea are one of a number of top European sides tracking Adama Jeng, per reports from the Daily Mail.
The 15-year-old Gambian caught the eye of scouts while representing his nation’s U17 side at a youth tournament in Senegal.
Jeng is a product of the famed Samger FC academy. Chelsea are said to see him as a ‘star in the making’, but face competition from clubs including Bayern Munich, Benfica, Monaco, Union Saint-Gilloise, Sporting CP and Paris FC.
Gibbs-White pursuit hits a snag
Chelsea face competition from Bayern Munich if they are to make a bid for Morgan Gibbs-White in the summer.
The Blues are thought to hold a long-standing interest in the player, as reported by the Daily Mail earlier this summer, but Bayern are now reported by TalkSport to be the leading contenders to sign the Forest vice-captain.
Their interest comes in spite of the fact he signed a new long-term deal last summer after Forest knocked back bids from Tottenham.
Forest will not let him go easily, though, with any sale likely to eclipse the £116m they received from Man City for Eliott Anderson.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will renew their interest in Gibbs-White when the window reopens, though, after spending heavily on Morgan Rogers in July.
Arsenal transfer battle
Arsenal and Chelsea are both thought to be monitoring Feyenoord’s Gjivai Zechiel ahead of the January transfer window.
The 22-year-old central midfielder is reported by Caught Offside to be a target for the London rivals.
He will not be available on the cheap, though, with Lille seeing a €17m (£14.5m) bid for his services rejected in the summer. He is under contract until 2029.
