Chelsea have been told just how good one of their main transfer targets is, but on the flip side it means that they could end up paying over the odds to sign them.
After losing 1-0 to Newcastle in the final league game before the 2022 World Cup it was clear, if it wasn't already, that something needs to be done at Stamford Bridge to overturn a stale squad. Even Graham Potter's introduction couldn't sustain a bounce for longer than two months before the same questions came about.
The time is now for Todd Boehly to ensure that in 12 months time there are different questions, if any questions. Potter faces a challenge with the injuries in the current squad and the lack of planning in the transfer market, to get anywhere. The starting point for change can be just around the corner though.
READ MORE: Full list of Chelsea transfer targets going to Qatar 2022 World Cup amid Boehly scouting mission
It's expected that Chelsea will go big in January to secure deals for players either in the winter window or ahead of the summer. This will be off the back of the World Cup though, and that poses it's own unknown issues. Will there be inflated prices for players, are transfers off the back of a tournament a good idea, what will the fitness of World Cup participants be like?
These will all have to be navigated by Boehly, Potter and the new recruitment team but it does also offer a chance to start the rebuild from a transfer front. The Blues are desperate for midfield reinforcements and will get a good look at some of their top targets during the Qatar competition.
One of them is Jude Bellingham, a player destined to be at the centre of a major bidding war between Europe's top clubs next summer. The 19-year-old was the subject of an enquiry from Chelsea but Borussia Dortmund were expectedly unwilling to discuss it.
Bellingham has a value of over £100m and will be a key player for Gareth Southgate over the next four weeks of football. He's also one of just three players Jamie Carragher believes is amongst the best in the world. “I think when you go through the team now, I think of Kane and Foden who has never really shown his City form in an England shirt. You think who have we got who is world class?" He said.
“I think Kane and Foden can go into that category and I think Bellingham is almost ready to take that step and maybe we’ll be saying that after the World Cup.”
If Bellingham is to have a standout tournament then it may make Chelsea's attempts to sign him even tougher. It is the best shop window for clubs and the former Birmingham City starlet is one of the biggest attractions to it in midfield.
His partner in midfield, Declan Rice, is another player likely to be pursued by the club over the next 12 months as well.
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