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 doing the daily rounds.
Chelsea consider Europa League star
Chelsea are considering a move for centre-half Pau Torres, who is valued at £45 million on Transfermarkt, from Villarreal amid the Blues' ongoing contract saga involving several defenders, according to 90min.
Thomas Tuchel's side face stern competition from Manchester United for the Spain international's signature after both Premier league sides experienced Torres' quality first-hand against Chelsea in the UEFA Super Cup and versus United in the Europa League.
Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva and Cesar Azpilicueta, who are all frequent features in Tuchel's back-five, are all yet to pen extension at Stamford Bridge leading Chelsea to explore the transfer market.
Tuchel responds to Conte's Lukaku claims
Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte commented on Romelu Lukaku's start to life at the Blues following his move back to west London from Serie A.
Conte, who guided the Belgian talisman to Inter Milan's Scudetto winning campaign last season, claimed that Tuchel hasn't worked out how to get the best of the striker following the Blues' 1-0 loss to Juventus in the Champions League.
The Italian boss said: "I don’t think Chelsea have quite figured out how to use him yet. He is a very specific striker. Bringing Lukaku into the box, he is dangerous.
"However, when he starts from midfield, he is incredibly quick. It is very difficult to find a player who is both a target man but can also run from midfield."
However, Tuchel then responded by claiming that he was not offended by Conte's observation but noted how quickly opinions change just days after Lukaku's strong display in the Blues' 3-0 win over Tottenham.
"He was obviously not on the telly after the Tottenham game. I don’t feel offended, he has every right. He is in the TV studio," Tuchel said.
"I even saw it while I was showering before the match in the hotel. I saw him talking about us and I saw all the pictures between Romelu and our players from the Tottenham game.
"They were talking about the link-up play from Romelu, and how strong he is and how much he scored so they were praising him.
"I can see it but it is not a Romelu Lukaku problem. The other teams have changed their structure to close down Romelu but there are solutions to this. We are on it."
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich ready to pounce on Rudiger deal
Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are ready to pounce on a deal for Antonio Rudiger should Chelsea fail to extend the Germany international's stay at Cobham, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The report claimed that the Blues are still negotiating with Rudiger's agents over a new contract and talks are ongoing however there is currently no agreement on salary.
Chelsea apparently remains in the driving seat in the pursuit of the centre-back's services because Rudiger is happy at Stamford Bridge under Tuchel's tenure.
Blues eye Ligue 1 wonderkid following in Camavinga's footsteps
Chelsea are keeping a close eye on the development of 17-year-old Ligue 1 wonderkid Mohamed-Ali Cho, according to CaughtOffside.
Cho became the youngest ever player in French football to have signed a professional contract following his move from Everton academy to Angers in 2020.
France born, he began his footballing career at Paris Saint-Germain but moved to England in 2015 before returning to his homeland five years later joining Angers.
The versatile frontman became the youngest player to score in Ligue 1 this season since Eduardo Camavinga in December 2019 with a neat effort against Stade Rennais.
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