Here are the Chelsea evening headlines on Tuesday, December 29.
Atletico eye Giroud
Spanish side Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud during the January transfer window, according to Italian outlet Rai Sport via Inside Futbol.
Giroud's contract at Stamford Bridge is due to expire at the end of this season and the France centre-forward has been linked with a move away from west London.
Former Blues striker Diego Costa has just seen his contract at Atletico terminated after a reported fallout with manager Diego Simeone. Now, Simeone wants to replace Costa with Giroud, who has been in fine form for Frank Lampard's team recently.
The Frenchman scored the Blues' only goal in their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Monday evening, which was his seventh in six outings in all competitions.
Lampard's strongest attack
Andy Townsend believes he can name Lampard's strongest attacking line-up now after their 1-1 draw with Aston Villa on Monday.
However, there's no place for the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi or Tammy Abraham in Townsend's line-up.
Speaking on Amazon Prime, the former Blues man said: "I think at the moment, Giroud is their best bet in terms of relying on someone to lead the line, all-round, and provide the goals.
"Abraham is a different animal this season, I think he’s aware that he needs to be responsible for numbers and goals now. But I do think Giroud, with Pulisic, with Ziyech and Werner, that’s their most dangerous front line if they can find the right contributions there."
Read the full story here.
Two-week break proposed
Premier League clubs are discussing the possibility of a two-week break next month due to the rise in Covid-19 cases around the top-flight recently.
This will of course impact every club in the division, including Chelsea, and according to The Telegraph, there are plans to discuss this further in January.
Manchester City were forced to call off their game against Everton on Monday due to an outbreak of coronavirus within their squad - a problem which triggered the club to shut their training ground.
Sheffield United are the latest club in the league to report a number of positive tests among its club staff.
As well as this, Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl was forced to self-isolate for his team's match with West Ham United on Tuesday evening after a member of his household tested positive. Tottenham's game against Fulham is also in jeopardy, according to The Athletic.
