Chelsea had a busy summer transfer window, with a number of big name players coming into the club.
The Blues made seven signings in order to try and close the gap on Manchester City and Liverpool - who, last season, occupied the top-two positions in the Premier League.
With January just two and a half months away, Frank Lampard’s team are again on the lookout for any more additions, as well as trying to offload any fringe players.
Here are the latest Chelsea transfer rumours.
Rudiger wants to fight for Blues place
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is determined to fight for his place in Lampard’s team after almost leaving the club over the summer.
Rudiger came close to departing Stamford Bridge, with Paris Saint-Germain, Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan all linked with the German centre-back, but the window shut before a deal could be completed.
Talking to The Athletic, the Blues defender said: “It is what it is now. I will accept it for the time being and try to show myself in every training session.
“We are in many different competitions, it’s two games per-week all the way from now. Sometimes in football, things can change very quickly. That’s why I will continue to give my best every day and try to convince the manager.”
Bayern chief opens up on Hudson-Odoi
Bayern Munich chief Hasan Salihamidzic has explained the German side’s inability to agree on a deal for Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The 19-year-old was once again subject of a bid from Bayern, but the Blues rejected a loan offer for their teenage winger, thought to have a £70m option to buy him once the temporary deal was over.
Speaking to Sport Bild (via Metro ), Salihamidzic said: “There are transfers that come to the point where you have to say: ‘We have to leave this immediately’.
“It is all the more important that one thinks about alternatives or alternative paths right from the start. We negotiated with Chelsea, but there was no agreement. That happens.”
Rice is an “upgrade” on Kante
Chelsea-linked Declan Rice is an “upgrade” on current midfielder N’Golo Kante, according to former Premier League striker Darren Bent.
Rice was linked with a move to Stamford Bridge for the majority of the summer, but West Ham United’s asking price of £80m was beyond the Blues’ valuation of the England international.
Kante has been linked with a move away from London, with Paris Saint-Germain reportedly keen on the France midfielder.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Bent said: “For me, Declan Rice would be an upgrade. Not only because he can play that role really, really well, he can get about the pitch, has good energy, and reads the game really well.”
