Chelsea are emerging as the main contenders to sign a new midfielder after reaching out to his club, and it is believed the west Londoners have been considering a deal for more than 12 months.
Chelsea working on new centre-back for January
Despite the odd report linking Enzo Maresca’s side with a new striker, the consensus is that Chelsea are prioritising a new centre-back in January.
Fabrizio Romano – Chelsea chiefs debate January deal for £50k-per-week star
The Blues are working on a potential winter signing.
ByEmilio GalantiniJan 7, 2025
Injuries to Wesley Fofana, who could be out for the rest of the Premier League season, and Benoit Badiashile have cut Maresca’s central defensive options in half – with there being many reported targets on Chelsea’s shortlist.
Tomas Araujo [Benfica], Antonio Silva [Benfica], Ousmane Diomande [Sporting], Illia Zabarnyi [Bournemouth] and Dean Huijsen [Bournemouth] are all centre-backs being considered by Chelsea, according to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, but perhaps the most headline-grabbing one of them all is former player Marc Guehi.
Bournemouth (home)
January 14
Wolverhampton Wanderers (home)
January 20
Man City (away)
January 25
West Ham (away)
February 3
Brighton (away)
February 14
The Crystal Palace stalwart, fresh off the back of an incredible 2024, is being eyed by Chelsea as an option for the club before February 3, even if a deal is described as difficult to do.
Chelsea chiefs have been internally debating a January deal for Guehi, according to Fabrizio Romano, but it is unclear just how much Palace will demand for the England international after rejecting a £65 million bid from Newcastle in the summer.
The 24-year-old has 18 months left on his deal at Selhurst Park, so perhaps Palace chairma Steve Parish could be forced to sell for a cheaper fee if Guehi pushes for a return to Stamford Bridge.
As rumours surround the potential arrival of Guehi, there are suggestions that Chelsea are considering a loan recall for Trevoh Chalobah as well, so Palace face the very real possibility of losing at least one defender this month.
Meanwhile, in terms of other positions, TEAMtalk report that Chelsea have looked at a January deal for River Plate sensation Franco Mastantuono.
Chelsea moving into pole position to sign Mastantuono
The teenager is fast earning a reputation as “one of the world’s best upcoming young stars”, as per TT, and he’s been in Chelsea’s sights for over a year.
Chelsea have been in contact with River Plate over signing Mastantuono in that period, and Maresca’s side are entering pole position for the Argentine ahead of other interested clubs.
However, while they’ve entertained the possibility of bringing the 17-year-old to west London as soon as this month, they will have to wait until the summer as things stand.
Mastantuono’s deal includes a unique release clause, currently set at around £38 million, but it is set to increase as January goes on. The clause could go as high as £43 million, and this has apparently prompted Chelsea to stall on moving for him until later in 2025.
In any case, TT state that Chelsea are “working hard” on his signing, as BlueCo carry on their trend of cherry-picking world football’s hottest emerging talents.
