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Chelsea are preparing to face Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday (December 27) in the Premier League.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are coming off a demoralising 2-1 defeat at Wolverhampton Wanderers over the weekend. Meanwhile, the Blues have received a boost in their plans to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. Elsewhere, AS Roma are not in talks to sign Trevoh Chalobah.
On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on December 25, 2023:
Chelsea receive Victor Osimhen boost
Chelsea have received a boost in their plans to bring Victor Osimhen to Stamford Bridge next summer.
According to Football Transfers, Arsenal have left the race to sign the Nigerian striker. Osimhen powered Napoli to the Serie A title last season and is among the finest strikers in the world right now. Acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has recently confirmed that the player will sign a new deal with the Italian side soon.
It has also been mentioned that the 24-year-old will have a €130 million release clause in his contract. The Blues are desperate for a new world-class striker and are long-term admirers of Osimhen.
It was previously believed that the Gunners would give stiff competition to their London rivals for the Nigerian. However, it now appears Arsenal have no desire to trigger the player’s exorbitant release clause and will turn to alternate targets instead.
AS Roma not eyeing Trevoh Chalobah
AS Roma are not preparing to move for Trevoh Chalobah, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The English defender’s future at Chelsea is up in the air, considering that he's no longer part of plans for Mauricio Pochettino.
Chalobah was close to leaving Stamford Bridge this summer, with Bayern Munich reportedly looking to bring him to the Allianz Arena. However, nothing came out of it as the player ended up staying with the Blues.
The 24-year-old is sidelined with an injury, and Romano has previously confirmed that he will depart the club in January. Sky Sports has said that Roma are pushing to take the player to Serie A, but Romano has refuted those claims.
In his column for Caught Offside, the transfer guru also backed Premier League clubs to enter the race for Chalobah in the back end of January.
“I’m not aware of any deal between Roma and Trevoh Chalobah now to be honest. Let’s see if the Serie A club will bid for him but as of today, I’m not aware of negotiations or contacts. I think Premier League clubs will enter the race for Chalobah, but probably later in the window as he’s just returning to the training pitch now after a long injury,” wrote Romano.
Chalobah has appeared 63 times for the London giants, registering four goals and one assist.
Blues unlikely to sign Viktor Gyokeres in January, says journalist
Chelsea are unlikely to complete a move for Viktor Gyokeres at the turn of the year, according to transfer insider Ben Jacobs.
The Blues are pushing to sign a new No. 9 this summer, following the struggles of their current crop. Pochettino allowed Romelu Lukaku to leave this summer to join AS Roma on loan and brought in Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal.
However, the Senegalese hasn’t lived up to the task yet, forcing the London giants to consider their options in the market.
Gyokeres has emerged as a candidate, following his run of 17 goals and eight assists in 20 appearances across competitions for Sporting this season.
The 25-year-old has a €100 million release clause in his contract, which makes him a tempting option for the London giants ahead of January.
However, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jacobs stated that Gyokeres is unlikely to push for a move to Stamford Bridge in the winter.
“Chelsea have looked at Sporting's Gyokeres as they consider which striker to bring in and whether January is the right time to move. Gyokeres has a release clause of €100m [£87m], as I have said before, and head coach Ruben Amorim has now confirmed that this will need to be triggered (or bettered, should suitors want a different payment structure) to prise him away from the club he only joined over the summer,” said Jacobs.
He continued:
“So, getting Gyokeres will be a bit like last January's pursuit of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica: expensive, dramatic and potentially a negotiation that could drag on. But unlike Enzo Fernandez, I don't think Gyokeres would push as hard to leave now. Chelsea have also looked at Club Brugge's Nusa and Copenhagen's Bardghji. At the same time, much of the attention has focused on Osimhen and Toney.”
Chelsea are expected to be active in the transfer market at the turn of the year.
