Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca may see his squad change in the next few weeks (Image: Getty)
are usually busy operators in the transfer market and this January appears to be no different, with several incomings and departures expected to materialise.
‘s side have experienced something of a blip after going five games without a victory for the first time under the tactician.
And to pile on the misery, the Italian will see his squad endure another major overhaul as the club’s owners prepare for a firesale in the final two weeks of the window.
Express Sport looks at the latest transfer rumours and gossip flying around Stamford Bridge as we reach the halfway point this month.
hit £65m Nkunku stalemate
are determined not to let Christopher Nkunku leave on the cheap in January after turning down an initial bid for the striker.
Bayern Munich are keen on bringing the former RB Leipzig star back to Germany after a disappointing 18-month stint in the capital. But the Bundesliga giants have seen their first bid rejected as the Blues demand a higher initial fee for the 27-year-old, who has bagged 13 goals in all competitions.
Reports suggest want around £65m for Nkunku’s sale, and they’ll look to sign a replacement in the January window if he does leave. So far, there has been ‘no progress made’ on the switch, per Fabrizio Romano.
Nkunku has reportedly agreed personal terms with the Bavarian outfit, but he is under contract at until 2029 and that could make negotiating a deal complex. Bayern do have a bargaining chip available, with Mathys Tel, 19, a target for Maresca. However, the Germans are reluctant to let the youngster leave.
Chelsea striker Christopher Nkunku is wanted by Bayern Munich (Image: Getty)
Guehi deal in tatters despite clause
could be forced to abandon their pursuit of Marc Guehi after Crystal Palace refused to budge from their valuation of their captain.
Guehi, 24, was sold to the Eagles for £18m in 2021 with a 20 per cent sell-on clause included in the deal. That clause will effectively give the Blues a sizeable reduction when negotiating a fee with Palace.
But the south London outfit are sticking to their £60m asking price and the figure is viewed as being too high by Stamford Bridge officials, report The Mirror. In addition, Guehi’s reported salary demands – said to be around £170,000 a week – are beyond their wage structure.
The England international’s contract is set to expire in 18 months’ time, leaving Palace to execute a gamble on extracting a high fee for their prized asset this summer. In the meantime, have recalled Trevoh Chalobah from his loan spell at Selhurst Park to provide defensive cover after missing out on Guehi.
Marc Guehi’s proposed move to Chelsea is looking unlikely (Image: Getty)
Starlet joins Prem rivals
youngster Zain Silcott Duberry is set to leave the club and join rivals Bournemouth this month.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the west London club have agreed an undisclosed fee and London-born Silcott-Duberry will pen a contract until June 2028.
The 19-year-old joined the Blues from Norwich in 2017 and made enough of an impression in his youth career to represent England’s Under-17s in the past. Last season, he featured regularly for the Under-21 team and scored important goals in their 2 campaign. Despite earning some promising reviews, he never made his senior debut at Stamford Bridge.
He will link up with one of his ex- team-mates, Kai Crampton, who moved to the Vitality Stadium earlier in the transfer window.
Zain Silcott-Duberry (right) is heading to Bournemouth (Image: Getty)