Chelsea Transfer News:  Pulisic signed, Blues pull out of deal for Real Madrid star, big-name midfielder may move soon and other stories -Wednesday, January 2, 2019

The January transfer window kicked off in earnest yesterday and already, there has been a big bombshell emerging from Stamford Bridge.

After months of speculation, it was finally confirmed today that American winger, Christian Pulisic would be joining Chelsea in a €64 million deal. The 20-year-old will spend the rest of the season on loan at his present club; German giants, Borussia Dortmund.

However, this is not expected to be the only transfer move that will be made by the Blues this month. Maurizio Sarri's men are currently fourth on the table in the Premier League. They are well aware of the threat posed by the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United for that coveted 4th spot.

Welcome to Chelsea, @cpulisic_10! https://t.co/bgiLbAtXrl

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 2, 2019

Without further ado, let's take a look at some of the big transfer stories emerging around the 2012 UEFA Champions League winners:

#1 Title-winning midfielder may be off to France

Fabregas may be on his way out of Stamford Bridge

After a bizarre couple of seasons at the Bridge, it seems the sun has finally set on Cesc Fabregas' Chelsea (and Premier League) career.

After 4 seasons with the Blues, the 31-year-old former Spanish international looks set to join AS Monaco this month. According to Goal.com, the deal for Fabregas could take place very soon as he has just 6 months left on his current contract.

Manager, Sarri has made no secret of the fact that he prefers Jorginho in the central midfield position to Fabregas. As such, the former Arsenal captain has found opportunities hard to come by.

The then Barcelona player had joined in 2014 for €33 million alongside Diego Costa and the return of Jose Mourinho as Chelsea boss. Fabregas was majestic in that season providing 19 assists as the Blues won the Premier League title for the third time.

However, that was as good as it got for the Spaniard as he has struggled to impress subsequent Chelsea bosses; Antonio Conte and Sarri

#2 Blues linked to German centre-back

The German defender is seen as a replacement for David Luiz

David Luiz has been okay for Sarri's side this season. However, it does not seem like he has the full trust of the manager or the board. This explains why he is yet to be offered a new contract despite his current one expiring in the summer.

To replace him, the team have been linked to Bayern Munich's Mats Hummels. The 30-year-old World Cup winner is no longer an automatic pick at the Allianz Arena as his place has been taken by Nicklas Sule.

According to the Daily Sun, the Bayern board will be willing to sanction a deal this month for Hummels to move to the Bridge. The defender is also said to be keen on the move.

However, a sticking point could be the fee and date. Bayern is insisting on a £30m deal to be done before January 14th (giving them time to find a replacement). This fee may be deemed by Chelsea's transfer Czarina: Mariana Granovskaia as too high for a player of Hummels' age.

It remains to be seen exactly how this will play out.

#3 Blues pull out of the deal for Real Madrid superstar

Isco is out-of-favour at the Bernabeu

After being linked with a move for Real Madrid's Spanish midfielder, Isco over the last couple of months, Chelsea have reportedly pulled out of a possible deal. According to The Sun, Blues' owner, Roman Abramovich had reportedly agreed to a £75m transfer deal and a £250,000 weekly salary.

However, the 26-year-old's agents had sought to re-negotiate a higher salary after receiving reports of interest from PSG for their client's services. This was said to have infuriated the Chelsea team who are now said to be considering other options.

Despite having a reported €700m release clause inserted when he signed his new deal with Los Merengues in 2017, Isco is unhappy at the Santiago Bernabeu.

He has not been in the good books of the new manager, Santiago Solari. The Argentine has left the former Malaga man out of the team on a number of occasions this season.