Chelsea transfer news: Wilfried Zaha bid, Ben Chilwell, Fyodor Chalov, Moussa Dembele and Emerson latest
Chelsea are prepared to make summer additions after their transfer ban was lifted
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Your support makes all the difference.Frank Lampard will be able to sign his first players as Chelsea manager after the club’s Fifa transfer ban was lifted.
The former Blues midfielder joined the club to get the most out of a young and talented squad and will now have the chance to make additions to the team to build on a strong start to the season.
Wilfried Zaha is high on the list of transfer targets and The Independent recently reported that Chelsea have already made contact with Crystal Palace about the winger.
Palace’s star player will not come cheap after the club held firm in the summer despite a lucrative offer from Premier League rivals Arsenal, as well as a late bid from Everton.
The Times reports that Chelsea are ready to make a bid for the 27-year-old but Palace’s £80m valuation could be a barrier. Olivier Giroud may switch west London for South to help secure a deal, or a number of promising young players could join Roy Hodgson’s side on a loan deal.
The two clubs have a good working relationship following Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s loan spell at Selhurst Park during the 2017-18 season, which Chelsea were delighted with.
Moussa Dembele is another sought-after forward that Chelsea are considering, with Sky Sports reporting that he is high on Lampard’s list of players to bring in due to his likeness to former Blues forward Didier Drogba.
Chelsea have also joined Manchester City the race to sign Leicester City and England defender Ben Chilwell.
The i reports that Chelsea will have to pay at least £60m to Leicester, who may not accept any bids at all due to their policy of only letting one key player leave each season.
Chilwell is believed to be waiting for an assurance on Pep Guardiola’s future at Manchester City before making any decision.
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers ruled out the possibility of Chilwell leaving the King Power before summer. “There’ll be no one leaving in January. Categorically,” he said. “I’m sure if we speak, they [the owners] will have the same message. It’s very clear – we want to keep this squad together.”
Elsewhere, The Express suggests that Lampard and Chelsea will turn their attention to CSKA Moscow forward Fyodor Chalov should a move for other preferred targets not materialise.
Timo Werner is ahead of Chalov in Chelsea’s list of priorities, but the RB Leipzig forward is not available now to satisfy Lampard’s demands for immediate backup to Tammy Abraham.
There is unlikely to be a huge number of players leaving Chelsea in January, although Inter Milan are prepared to offer £25m for Emerson, who Juventus are also interested in signing. The Independent understands Lampard will not let anyone leave without a replacement already lined up.
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