Here are the Chelsea morning headlines for Friday, July 17.
Rudiger future in doubt
Antonio Rudiger has not yet been offered a new contract and may be sold this summer, according to the Mail.
The German defender was previously part of the first-choice line-up but was left out of several key games recently, before returning in the win against Norwich City.
Frank Lampard has chopped and changed his defence all season long, both personnel and tactics, and the report suggests he wants to prioritise new defenders for the summer after already making a couple of attacking signings.
Rudiger still has two years left on his present contract, making this the ideal moment to sell him before his value decreases significantly.
Chelsea miss out on Birmingham teen to Dortmund
Chelsea are one of the sides who have been most heavily linked with Jude Bellingham, with the Birmingham City starlet seen as one of the most impressive young talents around.
But he is now on the verge of completing a £26million move to Borussia Dortmund instead, opting to head abroad rather than choosing either Chelsea or Manchester United.
Sky Sports report the 17-year-old has completed a medical already and will join up with his new club after playing the final two games of Birmingham’s Championship season.
He’ll attempt to follow the path set down by Jadon Sancho, of moving to the Westfalenstadion and winning a regular place at a young age.
Former referee explains why Zaha wasn’t given penalty against United
Chelsea fans would have hoped Crystal Palace could take a result against Manchester United last night, with the race for the top four places being fiercely contested.
And Palace would have stood a good chance if they had been awarded what looked like a stonewall penalty, when Wilfried Zaha was tackled from behind by Victor Lindelof.
The referee opted against giving it and VAR didn’t overturn it either, to the annoyance and bemusement of the Palace wide man.
After the game, former Premier League referee Peter Walton explained on BT Sport that the call on the would-be foul was subjective and thus wouldn’t be deemed a “clear and obvious error”.
“If a player takes the ball and the player at the same time, then yes, it’s a foul,” he explained. "It should’ve been given as a penalty kick. The VAR will not get involved because it’s not a clear and obvious error from the match referee.
"It’s a subjective call. Not everybody in the land would say that’s definitely a penalty kick."
United avoided the penalty and went on to win 2-0, closing the gap to Chelsea to one point and being level with fourth-placed Leicester.
