Chelsea will swoop for a marquee England star if they sense a dramatic late opportunity to prise him away from his current club, with the Premier League big-hitters expected to be busy in the final days of this January window.
Enzo Maresca sets his sights on two signings for Chelsea
According to credible reporter Simon Phillips, manager Enzo Maresca has personally set his sights on both a new midfielder and a striker – making his transfer desires known in a recent meeting with Stamford Bridge officials behind-the-scenes.
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The west Londoners are changing their plans.
There was potential for the west Londoners to reignite a move for Jhon Duran, given Aston Villa’s pursuits of both defender Axel Disasi and forward João Félix (Simon Phillips), but the Colombia starlet is now set to join Al-Nassr in a head-turning January deal with his Saudi medical booked for today.
However, the striker position remains a key area of the squad they’re looking to reinforce.
“With Chelsea, all along, it’s been kind of the messages I’ve been receiving: if there’s a deal available for the right price, then we might think about doing it,” said The Athletic’s Simon Johnson to GiveMeSport.
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Chelsea’s next five Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
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West Ham (home) |
February 3rd |
|
Brighton (away) |
February 14th |
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Aston Villa (away) |
February 22nd |
|
Southampton (home) |
February 25th |
|
Leicester City (home) |
March 9th |
“And striker is a position that, not just this window, but for the summer, is one of the key positions they’re looking at.”
In terms of a new midfielder, Man United star Kobbie Mainoo remains a top target, even if a deal for the Red Devils sensation will be very difficult to pull off.
Mainoo has been in reliably reported talks over a new deal at Old Trafford, as he seeks an upgrade on his £20,000-per-week wages, but Chelsea apparently remain in the background – ready to tempt the 19-year-old with a move to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea will not hesitate to make a late move for Kobbie Mainoo
According to a report by TEAMtalk, Maresca’s side are set to be one of the busiest clubs over the last few days of this winter window.
They’re indeed eyeing up late midfield options, ideally one who can play both centrally and pivot as a number six. With Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Carney Chukwuemeka still likely to leave, Chelsea “will not hesitate” to make a late move for Mainoo, should a golden chance present itself.
United certainly won’t make it easy, though, and are set to demand around £70 million for the player’s services. While a transfer looks increasingly more difficult, Ruben Amorim’s side apparently aren’t completely ruling out selling some of their big-name stars.
The “brave” midfielder is technically gifted, with only Amad Diallo averaging more successful take-ons per 90 in United’s squad this season (WhoScored), and he’d be quite the capture for Maresca.
