Here are the Chelsea morning headlines for Saturday, June 27
Rodgers unconcerned about Chilwell speculation
Brendan Rodgers has backed Ben Chilwell to perform against Chelsea in the FA Cup on Sunday despite talk of a move to Stamford Bridge this summer.
Having already brought in Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, Chelsea have been tipped to firm up their interest in Chilwell in the coming months.
Leicester reportedly value him at £80m, which would make him Chelsea’s most expensive signing.
Asked about Chilwell facing the Blues to the backdrop of intense transfer speculation, Rodgers said: “I have no worries at all. Speculation and gossip is something you have to live with in this industry.
“He has good experiences now, Ben, and can deal with that. It is a part of the game and we know that.
“Ben has come back and he has been brilliant. He has come back and looks fresh.
“In the lockdown he has really pressed the reset button again. He has been fit and his running ability has been great.
“His defending has been good. You saw his goal he scored against Watford, it was a brilliant strike.”
Newcastle and Watford tipped to move for Bakayoko
Having spent the season on loan at Monaco, Tiemoue Bakayoko could return to the Premier League next term.
It won’t be with Chelsea, however, as Frank Lampard hasn’t factored the one-time France midfielder into his plans.
According to Le10Sport, Newcastle and Watford are the latest clubs to express an interest in Bakayoko.
PSG are also interested in his services, though he is on a shortlist which also includes Ismael Bennacer, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
That leaves Newcastle and Watford in a strong position, though AC Milan, Nice and West Ham United are also monitoring the situation.
Bakayoko would prefer a move to PSG, but Milinkovic-Savic is their first preference.
Chelsea reportedly value Bakayoko at around €35m (£31.8m).
Chelsea are "sitting nervously" in fourth
Despite sitting five points clear of Manchester United in the Premier League table, Chelsea should still be wary of their nearest top-four challengers.
That’s according to Shaka Hislop, who has suggested that United could still sneak into the Champions League places.
Speaking to ESPN FC, the former Newcastle and West Ham goalkeeper said: “I think Chelsea are sitting a little bit nervously.
“Yeah, I say that less than 24 hours after they beat Manchester City.
“United have the easier run-in so, as good a result as that was for Chelsea, it’s a long way from [being] finished as far as the top four is concerned. That’s still my hope.
“We'll see what happens with UEFA and [Manchester] City and whether it’s down to fifth place [for Champions League qualification].
“But right now, let’s go top four, and I don’t think Chelsea are as comfortable as they think they are.”
