Chelsea transfer news

CHELSEA are considering a move for Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey as they look to beef up their forward line, reports say. The winger, who is close friends with Blues star Raheem Sterling, has enjoyed an improved season and is now thriving in the Premier League.
Leon Bailey is finding his feet in the Premier LeagueCredit: Alamy
Meanwhile, Chelsea have found their limp attack to be their undoing again this season, with Thomas Tuchel being sacked in September and form now collapsing under Graham Potter.
And the London club are being linked to a whole range of stars with the new ownership, led by American tycoon Todd Boehly, looking likely to spend in January.
Despite Villa’s struggles this season, Bailey has emerged as a talent after a difficult first year at the club.
After his £25m move from Bayer Leverkusen, the Jamaican struggled to adapt to the league, notching up only a goal and two assists last season.
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But he’s already surpassed those numbers this season with three strikes and two assists, including a dramatic equaliser against Manchester City in September.
His improvement has got the Chelsea hierarchy interested in him, according to the Mail.
They will hope that Bailey can combine with his good friend Sterling to make Chelsea a more dangerous side going forward.
As has become a regular theme in recent years, the Blues have major shortcomings in attack.
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They could make the move for Bailey if interests surfaces for American flop Christian Pulisic.
He has struggled to make an impact following an impressive first season at Stamford Bridge and has become a fringe player.
Pulisic is set to feature prominently in the United States’ World Cup campaign and Chelsea are believed to willing to let him go if it creates space for Bailey.
The Aston Villa man has long been a target and was on Chelsea’s radar even when he was at Genk and Bayer Leverkusen. More

BRIGHTON CEO Paul Barber has revealed that Chelsea approached him about appointing Graham Potter just minutes after they sacked Thomas Tuchel.The Seagulls chief has opened up about the shock phone call he received from Blues owner Todd Boehly in October.
Graham Potter has won seven games as Chelsea bossCredit: Getty
Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea soon after spending over £200million in the transfer marketCredit: AP
Paul Barber admitted he was shocked when the Blues came in for Graham PotterCredit: Getty
He was informed of the surprise news that Tuchel had been dismissed as Chelsea manager and that they wanted Potter to leave Brighton and replace him.
Barber told the Albion Roar podcast: “I think they [Chelsea] had done their homework.
“We probably felt that most of the top six clubs were fairly settled with their managers for the season. Generally speaking, we felt that there was going to be some consistency.
“What we didn’t expect to happen, obviously, was for Chelsea’s new owners to decide Tuchel wasn’t for them and there to suddenly be a gap there.
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“Literally within minutes of Tuchel being told, Boehly called me and asked about Graham.
“I guess I was probably the first to know outside of Chelsea that Tuchel had been dismissed and it was certainly before it was public knowledge.
“In that situation you see the name come up on the phone, it’s early in the morning, you think, ‘This isn’t a good call to get early in the morning’, it certainly wasn’t the alarm call I was expecting.
“These things happen and unfortunately in football, there’s a very small pool of top coaches and a very small pool of clubs that they are likely to go to when one of those clubs has a vacancy.
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“Then all of a sudden you know you’ve got a very good person and coach and you know you are going to be vulnerable.”
Barber went on to say the only role he thought may have come up for Potter was the England job.
But Chelsea got there man just a day after sacking Tuchel as they activated Potter’s release clause.
Brighton had to find a new boss unexpectedly and opted for Roberto De Zerbi.
Despite the change in manager they have kept up their impressive start to the season and currently sit 7th in the Premier League table.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have had an up and down time under Potter with the club in 8th as we enter the World Cup hiatus. More

BAYER LEVERKUSEN manager Xabi Alonso is keen to keep hold of Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.The Blues prospect has been in good form for the Bundesliga side since joining the club on loan in the summer.
Xabi Alonso wants to keep Chelsea loanee Callum Hudson-Odoi.Credit: Getty
Hudson-Odoi has made 15 appearances for the club and has scored one goal and assisted one more.
Despite not possessing the most impressive numbers, Alonso has liked what he has seen from the 22-year-old.
While Leverkusen have no option to buy the Englishman they are keen to keep hold of him amid reports that Chelsea are considering recalling him in January.
Alonso was quoted by Manuel Veth, saying: “I want to keep him a lot.
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“I am sure that he will stay until the end of the season.
“He is an important player for us.”
Leverkusen had a poor start to the season but their fortunes have turned around under Alonso and they have won their last three games in the league.
They are currently 12th in the table with 18 points and are only seven points behind Borussia Dortmund in 6th place.
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Chelsea however are faltering in front of goal as they have only managed 17 goals from their opening 14 games in the Premier League.
Despite a good start under new manager Graham Potter, the team are struggling to perform and have only scored twice in their five games in the league. More

CHELSEA have been dealt a blow with 16-year-old wonderkid Endrick set to discuss talks over a proposed move to Real Madrid.The Blues, along with PSG, are interested in signing the teenage star, but he’s now expected to travel to the Spanish capital later this month.
Endrick is wanted by several European clubsCredit: Getty
Endrick, currently playing for Brazilian club Palmeiras, only made his senior debut last month.
But the forward has made a bright start to his first-team career, scoring three goals in seven games.
He’s also scored five goals in four Brazil Under-16 games, including against England earlier this year.
Endrick has been learning English and has dreams of playing in the Champions League.
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He said: “I’m not gonna answer about my future club.
“Of course, I’d like to play Champions League in 2, 3 or 4 years.”
“I’m open to all the clubs, waiting for the best proposal for me and my family.”
Chelsea have held meetings with the star, but they now appear to have fallen behind Real Madrid in the race.
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Endrick’s father Douglas said: “We’ll travel to Madrid at the end of this month.
“After that conversation, Real Madrid will await a response from us to see if they should come and make a bid to Palmeiras.” More

MASON MOUNT is being targeted by Liverpool and Juventus for a shock transfer, according to reports.The Chelsea star still has not signed a long-term contract at Stamford Bridge – alerting European rivals to future availability.
Mason Mount has established himself as a first-team player at Chelsea over the last three yearsCredit: Reuters
Mount has 18 months left on his Blues deal and is one of a number of stars from the London club who are facing numerous urgent contract situations.
As one of the first-team squad’s lowest-earners, Mount is believed to be seeking an improved wage to reflect his importance to the team.
But the two sides have yet to thrash out an agreement, leaving things in the air until at least after the World Cup.
The Guardian report that Liverpool and Juventus are monitoring the situation.
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Both clubs have had disappointing seasons so far and either could benefit from fresh blood in midfield.
Mount has become popular with various Chelsea managers recently for his vision, industry and ability on the ball.
He has been with the club his entire career and the new ownership will be keen to not lose him for any money.
Reports in the past few days suggests there had been a “positive breakthrough” in contract talks.
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And rumours of Liverpool and Juventus being ready to pounce could help to intensify urgency at Chelsea.
Mount is one of a few stars the Blues risk losing for nothing.
Thiago Silva, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho could all see their contracts expire at the end of this season, before Mount’s.
They also just lost defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen for free last summer. More