Chelsea may have signed Christian Pulisic in the first week of the January transfer window, but he has been loaned straight back out to Borussia Dortmund.
Maurizio Sarri’s men are yet to address any of their current, more pressing issues as their string of underwhelming performances continues.
While the Blues did beat Newcastle 2-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, they again looked below par for long periods due to a lack of creativity and clinical finishing.
Read about their latest efforts to solve these problems in a round-up of the Chelsea transfer news and gossip below.
Nathan Ake: Buy-back bid
Chelsea are reportedly considering the possibility of re-signing Nathan Ake, with Gary Cahill on the way out and David Luiz’s contract running down.
The defender, now 23, left Stamford Bridge for a £20m Bournemouth move in 2017, but has developed significantly in the 18 months since.
He is said to be the subject of interest from multiple major Premier League clubs, though his old side have a head start with a £40m buy-back clause in place.
Leandro Paredes: Deals and hints
Its been claimed that the Blues have a deal agreed in principle for Zenit midfielder Leandro Paredes who could cost around £30m.
The Argentine is being eyed as a potential replacement for Cesc Fabregas after he completed his move to Monaco.
On Sunday, the 24-year-old dropped a hint about his future by retweeting a ‘Welcome to Chelsea’ video on social media.
Gonzalo Higuain: Latest movements
Maurizio Sarri’s former striker Gonzalo Higuain has travelled to Saudi Arabia to take part in the Supercoppa Italiana despite admitting his desire to leave Milan this month.
The Argentine has been linked with a January move to London, where he would link up with his ex-manager from their time at Napoli.
Gennaro Gattuso, the Milan head coach, revealed on Saturday that Higuain has made up his mind on departing the San Siro in the January window.
Callum Wilson: Transfer fee
An alternative striker target for Chelsea is Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson, however manager Eddie Howe has made it clear they are not planning to sell him.
According to The Star, the Cherries hierarchy will only listen to offers over £70m for the 24-year-old, which could put paid to any hope of a January transfer.
Willian: Sarri’s say
After the Blues reportedly rejected renewed Barcelona interest of £50m plus Malcom for Willian, Maurizio Sarri has explained that he does not want to lose his Brazilian winger.
“I’m not able to understand the market because I’m not in charge of the market,” he stated after Willian’s winner against Newcastle.
“Of course, I can only tell you my opinion. My opinion is Willian is a very important player for us. So, I would prefer him to stay here with us.”
Hudson-Odoi: Hold-up
Bayern Munich have made no secret of their desire to sign Callum Hudson-Odoi this January.
The latest talk from negotiations suggests Chelsea are reluctant to let him leave without a buy-back clause in his contract, however the German champions want no such agreement.
Batshuayi: Ligue 1 Links
Monaco manager Thierry Henry has hinted he could sign Michy Batshuayi on loan this month after the Belgian forward returned to Chelsea early from an unsuccessful Valencia loan.
Speaking about a potential move for the misfit, the Monaco boss said: “We have worked together with Belgium. We will see what happens. But he could be an interesting player. For sure.”
