Chelsea haven't had the best of luck recently under new boss Graham Potter. The Blues have lost their last three Premier League games and are without a win in five, with the latest defeat coming to Newcastle on Saturday.
Potter's side now sit eighth in the table, eight points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and 16 behind league leaders, Arsenal. Meanwhile, they've also been eliminated from the Carabao Cup following a defeat to Manchester City last week.
Nevertheless, Potter will need time to mould his squad and that process will properly begin when the transfer window opens in January. Chelsea's scouting team will be watching the competition very closely, so with that in mind, let's take a look at how likely it will be to secure winter moves for some of their World Cup targets.
READ MORE: Full list of Chelsea transfer targets going to Qatar 2022 World Cup amid Boehly scouting mission
Christopher Nkunku (France) - January transfer likeliness rating (7/10)
football.london understand that the Blues hold a long-term interest in Nkunku. The club were considering whether to make an approach in the summer but they were put off by Leipzig's €100million (£87.6million) valuation.
In June, the France international penned a two-year extension at the Red Bull Arena which cast doubt over whether a move would be on the cards. It's understood that his new contract has a €60million (£52.6million) release clause - which becomes active in the summer - was inserted into his contract, meaning Nkunku could leave for considerably less than first thought.
If the Blues want to sign him earlier than that then they'll have to pay more, but it's certainly a possibility, although the news that Nkunku will not after all be playing in Qatar because of injury means any plans Chelsea have to assess his performances further will have to be put on hold for now.
Edson Alvarez (Mexico) - January transfer likeliness rating (6/10)
Ajax's Alvarez was heavily linked before deadline day in the summer but a deal never materialised. However, the player has since indicated that he's open to making a switch to west London. If the interest is reignited in the new year, it's a deal that could yet happen.
Josko Gvardiol (Croatia) - January transfer likeliness rating (3/10)
Gvardiol was heavily linked with a move to the Premier League in the summer, but a transfer never happened after he penned a five-year deal with Leipzig.
That being said, the new contract looks to have been a ploy to earn a greater fee for one of Europe's leading young centre-backs. Chelsea face great competition for the Croatia international's services, with London rivals Tottenham one of the teams rumoured to be interested.
Denzel Dumfries (Netherlands) - January transfer likeliness rating (5/10)
After failing to sign Dumfries in the summer, Todd Boehly has been left to rue the decision, with Cesar Azpilicueta, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Raheem Sterling as Chelsea's only viable senior options to cover the right wing-back position following Reece James' injury.
Now, Arsenal have reportedly joined the race for his signature, handing the Blues a wakeup call. According to Calciomercato, Mikel Arteta's side are only £5million away from meeting Inter's valuation for the defender. The report states that the Italian giants want at least £35million but Arsenal are unwilling to spend more than £30million.
Whether Chelsea are willing to pay the money remains to be seen.
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