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Chelsea have been in indifferent form since December but have successfully completed loan deals for a few players, apart from the sale of Lucas Piazon to Braga.
With Chelsea's expensive summer signings yet to find their feet in the Premier League, the team could look to free up its wage bill and land a few quality reinforcements.
On that note, we list the top Chelsea transfer stories as on January 22, 2021.
Also read: Chelsea News Roundup: Lampard to be given 3 games to turn form around, former Blues star urges Chelsea to build team around 21-year-old, and more - 21 January 2021.
Chelsea's Fikayo Tomori joins AC Milan on loan
Following intense speculation for weeks, Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori has joined AC Milan on loan till the end of the season. The deal includes an option to buy for £25 million.
Tomori, despite enjoying a breakthrough season in Lampard's first season in charge, made only one Premier League appearance this term. That was because Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva's emergence as the club's first-choice centre-halves pushed Tomori down the pecking order.
However, Chelsea manager Lampard feels Tomori has a future at Stamford Bridge when he said:
"He absolutely has a long-term future at this club. We'll see if or when he goes on loan, but the moment I got close to Fikayo was when I took him to Derby with me, and he was the player of the year there and one of the best players in the Championship that year in my opinion."
The Chelsea manager further added in this regard:
"In my head, there is an absolute long-term plan for Fikayo about his career here at Chelsea. If it is to go and play games (on loan), it will be to absolutely enhance his personal development and hopefully help whatever team he goes to, because that will go hand in hand, and he will come back to us a better player."
Chelsea interested in Jude Bellingham and Erling Haaland
Chelsea could plot a double raid on Borussia Dortmund to prise Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham away, according to Dean Jones on Simon Phillips' podcast. The transfer analyst opined:
"The one reason I think Chelsea might sign Haaland is they are clearly not ones to miss an opportunity on a big player right now. I do think that if they got to a situation where Haaland was ready to leave Dortmund, I find it hard to believe that Chelsea’s wouldn’t have a real good crack at actually getting him through the door.”
On Bellingham, he laid down an approach:
“There are people inside Chelsea who believe that it might be worth waiting another year for Jude Bellingham. If Chelsea aren’t going to go and get Declan Rice right now, then why not wait another year until Bellingham is ready to leave Dortmund in 2022.”
Recent reports suggested Chelsea could break their transfer record to snatch Erling Haaland as soon as his release clause gets activated.
Alan Smith urges patience from Roman Abramovich as Frank Lampard sack looms
Arsenal legend Alan Smith acknowledged the critical situation at Chelsea but urged Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich to keep patience with Frank Lampard, drawing comparisons with Sir Alex Ferguson's early Manchester United career.
He wrote in his column for the Evening Standard:
"Lampard has tried to keep everyone involved by constantly chopping and changing, which does nothing for understanding in partnerships. Pulling off that feat requires an awful lot of skill and know-how. Even Sir Alex Ferguson needed a few years to master the art of rotation. Man-management is another technique that needs space to grow. Eighteen months is no time to get all this right."
The Blues have won only five of their last eight league games, which has seen them fall out of the top four. The dismal run has also raised larger questions over the team's lacklustre displays and Frank Lampard's general tactical acumen.
Smith conceded, however, that the final decision in this regard lies with Abramovich.
"The big question, of course, is whether Roman Abramovich is prepared to wait for Lampard. This is actually an interesting situation for Chelsea’s owner. Does he grant more time than normal to a club legend, or does he wield the axe in the same ruthless way?"
Chelsea take on Luton Town in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Also read: Chelsea vs Luton Town prediction, preview, team news, and more | FA Cup 2020-21.
