Five players Marina Granovskaia can open transfer talks with to sign for free at Chelsea
Chelsea may look to be busy in the upcoming transfer windows after how things have unfolded
so far in the 2021/22 campaign.
Initially, the Blues' squad depth looked like being enough to really put up a title challenge,
but Man City's incredible consistency, coupled with horrendous injury luck, has meant that
things haven't unfolded the way they wanted them to.
Despite a promising start to this season, a torrid December has seen Thomas Tuchel's
squad decimated by a mix of injuries and Covid-19 issues.
That was demonstrated by the makeshift squad that battled hard to a big 2-2 draw against
a Liverpool side who were expected to get all three points at the weekend - not just
because of injuries, but also because of the situation that is unfolding regarding Romelu
Lukaku.
The striker has thrown his Chelsea return up in the air, six months after arriving back
in west London, after an interview with Sky Italia has attracted some unhelpful noise
to squad harmony.
Lukaku himself has a meeting on Monday that could determine where he goes from here, but
should things turn further sour, the club may look to sign a new striker in one of the
upcoming windows, if needed.
In January, the focus seems to be on sorting out the full-back situation after the latest
Reece James and Ben Chilwell blows, but the summer is seen as an opportunity to sign long-term
midfield and forward targets - players who aren't necessarily needed right now but will
be come the end of the season.
With that in mind, football.london takes a look at five players who Marina Granovskaia
and co. could look at in January due to their contracts expiring in the summer, to sign
on pre-contract agreements.
Kylian Mbappe
Imagine, Mbappe to come in as a potential Lukaku replacement?
Maybe seems too good to be true but the striker is there to be poached as it stands with his
Paris-Saint Germain contract expiring come the end of the season.
However, Real Madrid seem to be in the driving seat regarding convincing the 23-year-old
to make the move to the Spanish capital with Florentino Perez seeming intent on not giving
up on his signing, just like they had to in the last summer's transfer window.
Well, we know that the player valued at £144million by Transfermarkt is a huge fan of Chelsea's
current manager, who delivered the Blues their second Champions League title at the end of
last season.
Speaking to BILD, as quoted by 90min, Mbappe admitted: "He’s fantastic tactically.
He knows exactly how opponents will behave and can predict matches very accurately."
He added: "And we must also take this into account: he is still a very young coach.
He can become one of the best coaches of the future.
He proved it no sooner than with his victory in the Champions League."
One player who may not be the most universally popular Lukaku replacement among the Stamford
Bridge faithful would be Uruguayan.
Suarez is well known for his infamous bite on former Chelsea right-back Branislav Ivanovic
but could the board pull off a shock move?
Well, the ex-Liverpool man was surprisingly let go by Barcelona 18 months ago as he joined
Atletico Madrid.
But it was a move that worked a treat as he helped Diego Simeone's side to a La Liga title.
The 34-year-old's two-year deal is set to run out, though, and it's not a foregone conclusion
he will extend his stay in Madrid.
Boubacar Kamara
Central midfield is a further position that may well be looked into.
With Saul Niguez looking highly unlikely to be granted a permanent deal come the expiration
of his loan in the summer, coupled with over-reliance on Jorginho, N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic,
there is certainly a fourth midfield slot that needs to be filled for a side that aims
to compete well in all competitions.
The 22-year-old has been linked to a host of Premier League clubs in the past with Tuchel's
side reportedly interested in the French youth international prior to completing the loan
signing of Saul on deadline day.
On his contractual stand-off with Marseille, The Athletic have reported that Kamara is
refusing a new deal from the Ligue 1 outfit meaning he will be a free agent in the summer.
Newcastle had been touted as a potential destination for the midfielder but Chelsea at this current
moment would be seen as more of a step up for Marseille's number 4, who certainly has
an exciting future ahead of him.
Niklas Sule
Another area of need for the west Londoners in the long-term future resides in the centre-half
position.
With Antonio Rudiger looking a certainty to leave in the summer, coupled with the duo
of Andreas Christensen, and Cesar Azpilicueta having uncertainty surrounding their immediate
futures, there is likely to be a big defensive restructure on the horizon.
Jules Kounde looks to be the main target in this position but who's to say that Chelsea
won't be forced to sign more than one new central defender.
Someone who could be destined for the Premier League is Bayern Munich's Sule, who is free
to assess his options ahead of a potential new adventure abroad.
Alongside Chelsea's reported interest in the Germany international, Newcastle are reportedly
keen on snapping up his services as they look forward to an exciting future under the new
Saudi Arabia regime.
Ousmane Dembele's spell at Barcelona has been a complete disaster.
The Spanish side shelled out £135million for the forward, a prime example of why they're
a financial mess at the moment, with the player failing to live up to his hefty price tag,
Barca want to get him off the wage bill as he looks set to leave the Nou Camp in the
summer.
We already know that Tuchel is a huge fan of the injury-prone winger and that admiration
is reciprocated the other way, so it could be a deal to watch out for.
The latest on the 24-year-old also adds fuel to the fire of persisting Chelsea rumours
with their now being indications that Barca could look to cash in on Dembele due to his
reluctance to accept the club's latest terms in contract negotiations, as per Sky Sports
News.
As per Barcelona director Mateu Alemany Font via Fabrizio Romano's tweet, he informed:
“There’s no meeting scheduled with Ousmane Dembélé and his agent.
They know our position and our decision”.
“We can’t take it too long.
We’re waiting for Ousmane Dembélé final answer to our proposal”, he said.