Welcome to our football.london CareFree Chelsea daily news round-up. Maybe not the first, we've definitely done transfer round-ups before, and European round-ups, so I guess in some ways it's not that new at all.
Anyway, we thought we would enter the world of football in a broad and roundabout manner for you and have some fun with some of the stories and captions of the day.
Antonio Rudiger's future has been a hot topic for a while now, though it seems the German defender is keen to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge.
Should Rudiger stay at Chelsea, he could soon be joined by Sergino Dest as Thomas Tuchel edges closer to a move for the Barcelona man.
And finally, Cesar Azpilicueta has singled out a Chelsea teammate for praise after Tuchel's men secured their place in the final of the Carabao Cup.
Rudiger wants Chelsea stay
Rudiger's winning goal in the second leg of Chelsea's Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham has only served to increase the interest around his Chelsea future.
Tuchel insisted in his post-match interview that Rudiger knows he can produce his best football at Chelsea, and Bild now report (via TeamTalk) that the German's priority is to extend his stay at the club.
A trusted source has reportedly told the German outlet that, although Rudiger's initial wage request was rebuffed, he hopes a compromise can be reached.
Our take: This can only be good news for Chelsea.
Rudiger has had his ups and downs since moving to the club but he's undoubtedly one of the most important players in Tuchel's side and so hopefully the club and the player can reach an agreement in the near future.
Barca willing to release Dest
El Nacional have reported that Barcelona are willing to accept a €20m (£16.7m) offer from Chelsea for wing-back Dest.
The report adds that Dest's injuries and a lack of consistency have forced Barca to consider his future at the club and that they could now be open to cutting ties if their valuation of the player is met.
Our take: Chelsea really could do with signing someone like Dest this month.
The youngster can play on both the left and the right, and so would be able to cover for Ben Chilwell as he continues rehabilitation on his injury and could then offer Tuchel the chance to rotate his squad when everyone is back fit.
Azpilicueta praises Rudiger
We've already touched on how desperate we are to see Rudiger remain at Chelsea and it seems his teammates feel the same way as us.
Speaking to ChelseaTV, Azpilicueta praised Rudiger after his goal ensured Chelsea reached the final of the Carabao Cup, with the Spaniard highlighting how much of a threat Rudiger can be in the opposition box.
“Toni has developed really well since he arrived. He has had a very big impact. Now he’s even a big threat on set plays, which is amazing," Azpilicueta said of his teammate.
“The aggression that he has, the way he plays with the ball, it’s a pleasure to have him in our team.”
Our take: It’s a good thing he’s going to stay then, isn’t it?
Obviously it's all speculation at the moment, but we'd be gutted to see him leave.
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