Here is your Chelsea morning digest for Thursday, February 11.
Werner injury blow confirmed
Striker Timo Werner will miss Chelsea's FA Cup fifth round clash with Barnsley at Oakwell this evening.
The Germany international, who joined Chelsea from Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig in June last year, was forced off with 15 minutes of Sunday evening's 2-1 win over Sheffield United remaining.
Head coach Thomas Tuchel confirmed after the game that the striker had suffered a dead leg but it was not thought to be too serious. However, addressing the media on Wednesday lunchtime, ahead of tonight's showdown with Barnsley, the Blues boss confirmed Werner would miss out.
“It is still painful with contact so we didn’t risk it today and we will not risk it tomorrow," said Tuchel.
"He had a huge impact on our games so that’s why we are a bit sad because it would have been also possible to just keep going his momentum and give him a chance to find the net.
"We could have risked it but the decision stands and it is hopefully now for him to recover and be back on Monday.”
Having Werner back available for Monday's clash with Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge would be a huge bonus for Tuchel, as the striker had produced his most encouraging performance in several months against the Blades at the weekend.
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Blues receive triple transfer boost
German heavyweights Borussia Dortmund have drawn up a list of eight players that could be sold this summer if they fail to qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League.
The names on the list include Jude Bellingham, Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, all of whom have been linked with moves to Stamford Bridge over the last few months.
Given Tuchel's previous connections with Bundesliga, Chelsea look set to launch a raid on the German top-flight, with Bayern Munich's David Alaba and Dayot Upamecano of RB Leipzig also on their radar.
Reports in Germany claim that if Dortmund fail to secure a spot in the Champions League next season they will face the prospect of losing €75m (£65m) on top of the €26m (£22m) lost from TV revenue.
As a result of that, they will have to find a way to balance the books by selling their most prized assets, including the likes Axel Witsel, Manuel Akanji, Mahmoud Dahoud, Giovanni Reyna, and Raphael Guerreiro.
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Tuchel keen on PSG starlet
Chelsea chief Tuchel is eager to be reunited with Paris Saint-Germain sensation Kays Ruiz-Atil at Stamford Bridge this summer, according to a report by Foot Mercato, as cited by Inside Futbol.
Ruiz-Atil was promoted to the PSG first-team under Tuchel's tenure in the French capital and is held in very high regard by the Blues boss.
It is reported that Chelsea held talks with the youngster's representatives last summer over a potential move but nothing came to fruition. Now, though, the Blues are poised to reignite their interest. He is out-of-contract at PSG this summer and negotiations have not advanced for a while.
This season, the 18-year-old, who operates as a central-midfielder, has made seven appearances in Ligue 1, all of which came prior to Tuchel's sacking in late-December.
