Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues receive blow in pursuit of AC Milan forward; club planning to sign both Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham, and more - October 15, 2022

Chelsea will travel to Villa Park on Sunday (October 16) to face Aston Villa in the Premier League. Graham Potter's wards are fourth in the standings after eight games.

Meanwhile, the Blues have received a blow in their pursuit of an AC Milan forward. Elsewhere, the London giants are planning to sign both Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham.

On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on October 15, 2022.

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Chelsea receive blow in Rafael Leao pursuit

AC Milan v Chelsea FC: Group E - UEFA Champions League

Chelsea have suffered a setback in their pursuit of Rafael Leao.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport via Caught Offside, AC Milan are ready to do everything in their power to keep the player at the club. Leao is a target for the Blues, who are looking to add more bite to their attack next year. The Portuguese's Milan contract expires in 2024.

The Blues are hoping to take him to Stamford Bridge next year. However, the Rossoneri have the player firmly in their plans for the future, as they aim to reclaim their status as a European elite.

Leao has managed 31 goals and 28 assists from 127 games for the Serie A giants since arriving in 2019. Milan are ready to triple his salary and also offer him a £8.7 million signing-on bonus on his new contract.

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Blues planning to sign both Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham

Declan Rice has admirers at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea are planning to sign both Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham next summer, according to The Daily Mail via Caught Offside.

The Blues want to concentrate on midfield reinforcements next year, with both Jorginho and N'Golo Kante in the final year of their contracts. The London giants are eyeing a midfield axis of Rice and Bellingham to usher in a new era.

Rice is a long-term target for Chelsea, with the club living to regret letting him go as a teenager. He has been a revelation with West Ham United in recent seasons.

The Blues also have their eyes on Bellingham, who has earned rave reviews with Borussia Dortmund. The two players would take Graham Potter's midfield to a higher level. However, the London giants will have to break the bank to secure the signature of both players

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Graham Potter opens up on start to life at Stamford Bridge

Graham Potter is grateful to Chelsea players for helping him settle in quickly at Stamford Bridge. The Englishman took over from Thomas Tuchel last month and has enjoyed an unbeaten start to his tenure.

Speaking to the club's website, Potter reflected on a surreal start to life in London.

"It was a surreal start, in terms of the death of the Queen, games called off, international break, my first game in the Champions League. There were lots of things to get my head around quickly, but as I’ve said before, I have got to be really thankful to the players. They have been really receptive and open and honest. We are starting to build a nice relationship," said Potter

Potter went on to speak highly of his players, praising their attitude and saying that the team is going to get better.

"We have quite a few games in a short space of time now, and we’ve had to use the group as wisely as possible, which we’ve done. I’ve been really impressed with the guys. Their attitude has been fantastic," said Potter.

He added:

"There are a few lads who still haven’t had gametime, but that’s not necessarily because they’ve done anything wrong, you can only field 11. The focus is to go game to game and keep progressing. We’re not at the maximum in terms of where the team is at. There’s more to come."

The Blues have won four and drawn one of their five games under Potter.