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Chelsea welcome Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge on Sunday (September 24) in the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino will be desperate to pick up a win to get his team's season back on track.
Meanwhile, the Blues face competition from Bayern Munich in their quest to sign Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale. Elsewhere, defender Trevoh Chalobah is set to leave the London giants in January.
On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on September 24, 2023:
Chelsea face Bayern Munich competition for Aaron Ramsdale
Chelsea face competition from Bayern Munich for the services of Aaron Ramsdale, according to The Daily Mail.
The Blues lost both Edouard Mendy and Kepa Arrizabalaga this summer and signed Robert Sanchez from Brighton & Hove Albion for their No. 1 role. While the Senegalese left permanently for Saudi Arabia, Kepa joined Real Madrid on a temporary move. With Kepa likely to pursue a permanent move away next summer, the London giants are scouting the market for replacements.
Ramsdale has dropped down the pecking order at Arsenal recently, raising doubts about his future. The situation has alerted Chelsea, who want to station the Englishman at Stamford Bridge.
However, Bayern also have their eyes on Ramsdale and are unlikely to give up without a fight.
Trevoh Chalobah set to leave Stamford Bridge
Trevoh Chalobah is all set to leave Stamford Bridge this winter, according to acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The English defender was subject to interest from Bayern Munich in the summer, but the Bavarians failed to get a deal across the line. Chalobah remains a peripheral figure at Stamford Bridge and is no longer guaranteed first-team football under Pochettino.
In his column for Caught Offside, Romano added that the 24-year-old is now expected to part ways with the Blues in January to get his career back on track.
"One player who is going to leave his club in January is someone we discussed a couple of days ago, and it’s Trevoh Chalobah at Chelsea.
"It doesn’t mean that he won’t get any chances in the next weeks or months as a Chelsea player, but the expectation in terms of transfers is for Trevoh Chalobah to look for solutions in January and to leave the club," wrote Romano.
He continued:
"That’s the position today, in September. Things can change in football, but, as of today, the expectation is 100 percent for Trevoh Chalobah to try a new chapter."
Despite his lack of game time, Chalobah's stock remains high, and he's unlikely to be short of options if he decides to leave.
Blues told not signing Dusan Vlahovic was a mistake
The Blues made a big mistake by not securing the services of Dusan Vlahovic this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.
The Serbian hitman was put up for sale by Juventus, who were ready to let him leave. Despite entering talks to sign the 23-year-old, the Blues eventually opted against a move for the player.
They have lived to rue that decision, with Pochettino's team struggling to score this season. Jones told Give Me Sport that Chelsea could struggle to find someone as good as Vlahovic in January.
"When you consider they could have had Dusan Vlahovic, there was a conversation there between the two clubs, and they didn’t follow it up and go through with it, and now you see what Vlahovic did at the weekend.
"The two goals that he scored for Juventus were like prime number nine stuff – he’s so instinctive," said Jones.
He continued:
“And when he’s playing like that, there are very few players in the game that are better than him. I think Chelsea have made a massive mistake, personally, by not going for Vlahovic properly.
"I still think Chelsea will have to go back into the market for a number nine in the January transfer window, and you’re going to struggle to find anyone that is as good as Vlahovic.”
Vlahovic has started the new season on fire, scoring four goals and setting up one in four games across competitions.
