Chelsea transfer rumours: First Tuchel signing identified, Declan Rice setback, Gilmour loan
]
Sign up to FREE email alerts from Football London - Chelsea Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Chelsea spent over £220million during the summer transfer window but that was not enough to keep Frank Lampard in a job, with The Blues manager sacked on Monday morning.
His replacement will almost certainly be German Thomas Tuchel who will have the tough job of leading Chelsea from 9th to a minimum requirement of the Champions League places.
Whether Tuchel will want the same players Lampard was hoping to bring in is up for debate but the German is sure to want to bring in some of his own men in order to get the team playing the style of football he wants to see from his new side.
With that in mind here is a roundup of the latest Chelsea related transfer rumours:
Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now
Dembele still in sight
Ousmane Dembele was reported to be a Chelsea target following a breakdown in his contract negotiations with Barcelona and he is still a player on Chelsea’s radar.
The World Cup winner would have plenty of friends in the Chelsea dressing room having played alongside N’Golo Kante and Olivier Giroud for his national team and Christian Pulisic at former club Borussia Dortmund.
The 23-year-old was signed by the Catalan giants for£135.5m in 2017 but has yet to live up to the price tag. With his contract due to expire in 2022, Barcelona will be keen to either recoup some of their money or tie him down for the long-term.
Having managed Dembele at Dortmund Tuchel will know exactly the type of player he is.
Gilmour loan
Frank Lampard admitted in his final press conference as Chelsea manager that young midfielder Billy Gilmour could leave Chelsea on loan for the remainder of the season.
However, the Daily Mail reported there were no immediate plans for this to happen.
With Lampard no longer at the helm Tuchel’s opinion of the Scot is unknown and with interest sure to be high Gilmour would not struggle to find regular football elsewhere.
Sign up to our Chelsea newsletter for the latest transfer news In each football.london Chelsea bulletin, we’ll be bringing you the latest breaking news, transfer features and comment pieces, as well as the key talking points for fans. You won’t miss a single thing when it comes to Chelsea. We’ll also send special newsletters when big stories break or there’s a special event happening. And with the January transfer window now open there’s plenty of content to get your teeth into. How do you sign up? It’s easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Chelsea section of football.london in fact - labelled ‘Get the biggest daily stories by email’ and click ‘Subscribe’. And that’s it, you’re all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don’t think you’ll want to. For more details, click here.
Declan Rice interest
Lampard was a known admirer of the young English defensive midfielder.
However, this admiration caused friction at the club and was a factor in the manager’s dismissal according to London Football News.
With Lampard no longer at the club, it seems West Ham will be able to keep their prize asset for the foreseeable future.
Tuchel’s long-term transfer plans are not known at this stage but with figures at the club keen on Rice, the Blues may well be back for their midfield target in the summer.
Latest Chelsea transfer rumours: Blues and Manchester Utd eye Barcelona star, loan deal blocked
]
Sign up to FREE email alerts from Football London - Chelsea Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Chelsea spent a whopping £220million during the summer transfer window but that has, so far, not had the desired effect.
In particular, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, who joined the Blues for a combined fee of £117million, have yet to catch fire for Chelsea, as Frank Lampard’s side sit ninth in the Premier League.
But much of the talk this January transfer window has been about players leaving, rather than arriving.
Fikayo Tomori and Danny Drinkwater have left on loan, while Lucas Piazon and Charlie Brown have left on permanent deals.
But the Blues are continuously linked with West Ham United star Declan Rice, among others.
Here is a roundup of the latest Chelsea-related transfer rumours.
Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now
Blues eye Dembele
Chelsea and Manchester United are reportedly keeping tabs on Ousmane Dembele after contract talks with him and Barcelona broke down.
The Frenchman was linked with a departure from Camp Nou last summer but ultimately stayed with the Spanish giants.
The 23-year-old has not lived up to the huge transfer fee (£135.5m) Barca paid for him back in 2017 from Borussia Dortmund.
And Spanish outlet Sport claims if they are unable to strike a new deal with Dembele, whose contract runs out in the summer of 2022, then Barca will look to sell him sooner rather than later.
It adds that the impact of the pandemic on Barca’s finances means they are not able to offer Dembele improved terms.
Juventus and Bayern Munich are also understood to be interested in him.
He has scored 25 goals in 93 games for the club.
Loan move blocked
Chelsea have reportedly rejected an approach from West Ham to sign defender Emerson on loan.
The Daily Mirror reports that the Blues want to hold onto the Italian, despite his limited game time this season.
Lampard is understood to want to keep him as defensive cover, and there may be little to gain from letting him join a Premier League rival.
Emerson has fallen down the pecking order at the club since the arrival of Ben Chilwell from Leicester City this summer.
Indeed, the 26-year-old started against Luton Town in their 3-1 FA Cup win today.
Tomori breaks silence on Milan move
Fikayo Tomori has said he was surprised that AC Milan wanted to sign him on a loan deal.
The defender has joined the Italian giants for the rest of the season.
Sign up to our Chelsea newsletter for the latest transfer news In each football.london Chelsea bulletin, we’ll be bringing you the latest breaking news, transfer features and comment pieces, as well as the key talking points for fans. You won’t miss a single thing when it comes to Chelsea. We’ll also send special newsletters when big stories break or there’s a special event happening. And with the January transfer window now open there’s plenty of content to get your teeth into. How do you sign up? It’s easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Chelsea section of football.london in fact - labelled ‘Get the biggest daily stories by email’ and click ‘Subscribe’. And that’s it, you’re all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don’t think you’ll want to. For more details, click here.
The 23-year-old told Milan’s official website: “It’s a club with great history, this is an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.
“I was surprised, when I spoke to Paolo Maldini, the best defender who has ever played football, I knew this was where I wanted to be and where I wanted to play football.
“I am very happy to be here now.”
Tomori has found his opportunities limited at Stamford Bridge this season but boss Lampard said he still sees him in his long-term plans.
Latest Chelsea transfer rumours: Blues suffer Dayot Upamecano blow, ’next Paul Pogba’ scouted
]
The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel
Sign up to FREE email alerts from Football London - Chelsea Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email
Chelsea dominated headlines in the summer transfer window with their big spending, but things have been a lot quieter during the January transfer window for the Blues.
Though, as we head towards the end of the window, moves are starting to happen at a much quicker pace and we have already seen a Chelsea exit with Danny Drinkwater heading out on loan.
And that won’t be the end of the action with Fikayo Tomori heading to AC Milan and talk over other potential exits from Stamford Bridge this month.
Meanwhile, planning is well and truly underway ahead of the summer window and there are plenty of updates over Chelsea’s potential targets ahead of next season.
Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will auto-play soon 8 Cancel Play now
Join us below as we round up all the latest transfer news concerning the Blues.
Chelsea eyeing ’next Pogba’
Chelsea are said to be tracking Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni ahead of a potential deal.
According to ESPN, the Blues have been scouting the France under-20 international who has only been at Monaco since last year for €18m from Bordeaux.
Tchouameni is already a first-team regular at 20 years of age, making 19 Ligue 1 appearances this season, and he has been compared in the media to Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.
Speaking about the comparisons, the midfielder told RMC Sport in December 2019: “It’s always a pleasure to be compared to Paul Pogba.
“I think we’re in the same league.”
Chelsea, as well as a number of clubs around Europe, are said to be monitoring the young star.
Upamecano blow
Chelsea and Manchester United have been dealt a blow amid reports both clubs are looking at RB Leipzig star Dayot Upamecano ahead of this summer.
That’s because German and European champions Bayern Munich are considering a move for the highly-rated centre-back.
Upamecano has a release clause of just £38million and Bayern are considering activating that.
“We will of course deal with it (Upamecano’s release clause), not only with this player, but in principle,” said Bayern chief, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge to Bild Live.
“In the time of coronavirus, the money situation is also an important factor.”
Barcelona pull out of Alonso race
Barcelona have pulled out of the race to land Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso.
Barca were said to be interested in a move for the out-of-favour left-back this month with Junior Firpo attracting interest from AC Milan.
Sign up to our Chelsea newsletter for the latest transfer news In each football.london Chelsea bulletin, we’ll be bringing you the latest breaking news, transfer features and comment pieces, as well as the key talking points for fans. You won’t miss a single thing when it comes to Chelsea. We’ll also send special newsletters when big stories break or there’s a special event happening. And with the January transfer window now open there’s plenty of content to get your teeth into. How do you sign up? It’s easy and only takes seconds. Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article - or any article on the Chelsea section of football.london in fact - labelled ‘Get the biggest daily stories by email’ and click ‘Subscribe’. And that’s it, you’re all set. If you decide later that you no longer wish to receive the emails, simply follow the unsubscribe link in one of the newsletters - but we don’t think you’ll want to. For more details, click here.
But according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Milan have ended their interest in Firpo, leaving Barcelona’s plans for Alonso up in the air.
It’s now understood the Catalan club will not pursue Alonso with Firpo unlikely to leave the club in this window.
Alonso will have to look elsewhere as he searches for a new club amid a lack of game time at Stamford Bridge.