Good morning, Chelsea fans. Here are your morning headlines for Thursday, November 19.
Kepa to take pay-cut during loan spell
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga is willing to take a pay-cut and go out on loan in order to breathe new life into his career, according to the Sun.
Kepa has fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge after Edouard Mendy’s arrival from Rennes with Frank Lampard having lost trust in the Spaniard following a string of high-profile errors.
Kepa last started a game for Chelsea in the 3-3 draw with Southampton on October 17 and has only made one match-day squad since then.
The report claims Kepa knows his “time is up” and will look to secure a loan move in January as he looks to keep himself in the Spain squad ahead of next summer’s European Championship.
Chelsea fans call for Mount-Rice partnership
Chelsea supporters have expressed excitement over a potential future midfield partnership of Mason Mount and Declan Rice after the pair starred for England against Iceland.
Rice and Mount both scored as Gareth Southgate’s side eased to a 4-0 Nations League win at Wembley.
Rice glanced home Phil Foden’s free-kick for his England goal before Mount finished calmly after being found by Harry Kane to take his international tally to three.
And Chelsea fans are hoping it was a glimpse into the future with the Blues heavily linked with a move for West Ham United’s Rice.
Chelsea must act quickly on Bellingham interest
Chelsea cannot afford to sit on their reported interest in Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, writes Felix Keith.
Eurosport have claimed the Blues are monitoring Bellingham, who left Birmingham City to join Dortmund in the summer, ahead of a potential move in 2022.
However, Chelsea must learn from Manchester United’s transfer saga with Jadon Sancho that, the longer they wait, the more expensive Bellingham will become.
United failed to land Sancho over the summer after refusing to meet Dortmund’s £108m asking price.
And, according to the CIES Football Observatory, Sancho is now worth £111.6m. Chelsea must act swiftly or Bellingham’s value will continue to rise.
