Ake's buyback clause near to expiring, Giroud to Inter Milan: Chelsea Transfer News Roundup, 18th December 2019

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda’s Chelsea transfer roundup for the day. It’s been a tricky few weeks for Frank Lampard’s Blues, as they’ve picked up just 3 points from their last 5 Premier League games, and this weekend sees them go into a crunch match against Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham, with a loss likely to push them out of the top four. On a positive note though, the London side can now sign players again as their transfer ban has been lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport – meaning there are plenty of rumours doing the rounds about potential moves for new players. Without further ado, here are today’s stories.

Lampard still looking at attackers

Despite the general consensus being that Chelsea’s weakest point right now is their defence, Matt Law at the Telegraph is still reporting that Frank Lampard is more interested in bringing attacking talent to Stamford Bridge in January.

Law is quoting the already-reported duo of Jadon Sancho and Wilfried Zaha as potential signings for the Blues, but rules out any moves for Lyon’s Moussa Dembele and RB Leipzig’s Timo Werner due to those clubs’ involvement in the last 16 of the Champions League.

Instead, a couple of new names are mentioned – wingers Leon Bailey of Bayer Leverkusen and Samuel Chukwueze of Villarreal. The suggestion is that Chelsea’s scouts are monitoring both players with a potential move in mind – but with Chukwueze reportedly having a £100m release clause in his contract, only time will tell if there’s more to this rumour.

Abraham and James’ contract talks stalling?

Chelsea fans were buoyed by this summer’s new contract for Callum Hudson-Odoi – who was linked with a move to Bayern Munich – and recently the club made a move to tie down another academy graduate in the form of defender Fikayo Tomori, who was awarded with a new five-year contract.

However, the Telegraph is reporting that contract talks with fellow youngsters Tammy Abraham and Reece James have stalled. Both men have two years remaining on their current deals come the summer, and the Blues are naturally keen to extend their contracts, as both men have been in fantastic form this season, with Abraham currently Chelsea’s leading goalscorer.

The report suggests that progress on new deals has not been as fast as the club might’ve hoped for – with one potential issue being that Abraham wants at least parity, if not a better deal than Hudson-Odoi, who was rewarded with a £120k per week deal in September. It seems unlikely that Chelsea will want to lose either man, so expect more on this story soon.

Giroud to Inter Milan?

Monday saw Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud apparently issued a “warning” by France boss Didier Deschamps, who suggested that he might have to leave Stamford Bridge to find regular first-team football to have a chance at making it into Les Bleus’ Euro 2020 squad.

Well, today the Express is reporting that Giroud might’ve found his exit strategy in the form of a move to Serie A side Inter Milan, who were recently dumped out of the Champions League. The report suggests that Giroud could move to the San Siro to hook up with former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte, who is looking for a reliable backup to striker Romelu Lukaku.

According to the report, Conte is interested in bringing the Frenchman aboard – but only if Chelsea drop their asking price, reportedly £5m, as Giroud is out of contract in the summer anyway.

Ake’s buyback clause close to expiring?

One man who has repeatedly been linked with Chelsea as of late is Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake. The Dutchman was sold to the Cherries by Chelsea for £20m in 2017, but has shown impressive form since his move to the South Coast, and it has been suggested that Frank Lampard now wants to bring him back.

However, despite Chelsea being in the driving seat when it comes to a potential move for Ake, the Bournemouth Echo – via The Athletic – is reporting that if he wants to complete the signing, Lampard will need to move quickly. The Blues have a £40m buyback clause in the Dutchman’s contract – but that clause expires in the summer.

That means that Chelsea will need to make a move for Ake in January – or risk either losing him to a rival club, or paying way above the odds for a player who could realistically represent a bargain in the current climate.

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