Footy Extras

Chelsea are reportedly prepared to let defender Gary Cahill leave the club in the January transfer window, with Aston Villa and West Ham United interested.

According to a report from the Daily Mirror, as cited on Calciomercato, the west London giants will let the player leave to find regular playing time with no new deal in the offing.

West Ham United and Super Lig outfit Galatasaray have both been connected with a move to the former Bolton man in recent weeks.

Cahill has fallen out of favour at Blues this summer, finding game time hard to come by as Italian manager Maurizio Sarri prefers a defensive duo of German star Antonio Rudiger and Brazil international David Luiz.

The central defender is out of contract in the summer but could now leave during January transfer market.

In spite of captaining the club last season, Chelsea are unlikely to offer the player a new contract and could decide to cash in during the upcoming window to avoid losing Englishman for nothing.

This campaign, in all competitions, the 32-year-old star has made 3 appearances.

Premier League giants Chelsea are reportedly ready to pay as much as €20 million in order to land Serie B club Brescia talented midfielder Sandro Tonali, according to reports in Italy.

Football news Italian website Calciomercato.com reports that Italian manager Maurizio Sarri is a huge admirer of the ace and Chelsea are willing to back the manager and bring the midfielder to West London.

Tonali is gathering plenty of interest in Serie A, with the likes of Juventus, AS Roma and both Milan clubs taking notice of his displays in Serie B.

Brescia have already turned down official offers for the player that is being dubbed ‘the next Andrea Pirlo’.

Both for his style of play, appearance and the fact he is turning out for Italian outfit, it is easy to see why Andrea has drawn comparisons to the former Italian international.

Chelsea inability to land the players he wanted was one of Antonio Conte’s biggest gripes throughout his time at the club, but Maurizio appears to have done enough in his short time in charge to convince the Blues’ hierarchy.

Chelsea will battle it out with league rivals Liverpool for Christain Pulisic, with reports stating that Premier League duo are competing against each other for the star’s signature.

According to reports from Mercato365, as quoted on Calciomercato, the two sides are in a two-horse race for the die Borussen star.

Both clubs have been long-term admirers of the wonderkid and have tried to sign him in the past if reports are to be believed.

Jurgen Klopp remains a big fan from his time at Borussia Dortmund, while Chelsea have shortlisted him as a possible replacement for Eden Hazard, should Belgium international leave the club in the near future.

Pulisic, who has netted twice in six appearances this campaign, has been one of the standout displays in the Bundesliga in recent years, with Bayern Munich also among those to take note of prodigy’s development.

The German champions could well rekindle their interest in the future with both Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben reaching the latter stages of their professional careers.

This season, in all competitions, the USA international has made 6 appearances, scored 2 goals and provided 1 assist.

Chelsea have reportedly opened negotiations with N’Golo Kante over extending his current contract in an attempt to fend off interest from Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain, according to the latest reports in the British media.

The France international midfielder still has three years left to run on the five-year contract signed when arriving at Stamford Bridge from Premier League side Leicester City in a £32 million transfer in 2016.

Kante has been a huge success in West London, but there have been questions regarding his future as the Parisians are rumoured to be weighing up a big-money move.

According to a daily tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror, the west London giants are concerned about the thought of the 27-year-old star returning to his home city and are prepared to offer Frenchman an improved deal.

Kante has been ever-present for Chelsea since Italian manager Maurizio Sarri took charge in the summer, albeit in a slightly more advanced right-sided position.

N’Golo was widely considered to be one of the most important factors in the club’s superb form as they went on to win 2015-16 Premier League title, consistently making a high number of interceptions and tackles.

Premier League outfit Everton have reportedly been added to the growing list of clubs hoping to sign Arsenal central midfielder Aaron Ramsey on a free contract at the end of the campaign, according to a report.

The Wales international star all but confirmed last week that he will depart from the Emirates Stadium when his existing deal expires next summer, as Arsenal reluctantly pulled out of negotiations over new terms.

Ramsey appears to have a pick of sides both in England and abroad, with Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United among the Premier League teams to have been linked, while Serie A duo Juventus and AC Milan are also rumoured to be in the running to sign his signature.

According to a tabloid newspaper The Sun, Everton also fancy their chances of landing the 27-year-old star as they are prepared to offer him a £15 million signing-on fee, as well as wages of £150,000 per week.

Everton director of football Marcel Brands is said to be putting the package together for Aaron Ramsey, whom the Toffees want to tie the midfielder down for five years.

European heavyweights AS Roma striker and former Chelsea target Edin Dezko has talked up a possible return to the Premier League in the future.

Speaking to sports television channel Sky Sports about his next move, the Roma star did consider the fact that he may have missed his opportunity to return to England after a spell with Manchester City earlier in his career.

“Regarding the Premier League, maybe it’s too late. You never know. I had four-and-a-half great years there, and had fun every minute of every game. I love the Premier League and England, so we’ll see. At the moment I’m happy in Rome.”

Dzeko was heavily connected with a move to Chelsea during the January transfer market when Antonio Conte was in charge.

Both Chelsea and La Liga giants Real Madrid were reportedly keen to land him after his impressive form in Italy.

However, Edin was clearly settled in the Italian capital and was unwilling to leave the club, in spite of the Giallorossi themselves appearing happy to cash in on the forward.

The Bosnia & Herzegovina international was then linked again during the summer, but Edin opted to remain in Italy.

Chelsea young attacker Callum Hudson-Odoi has emerged as a target for Ligue 1 club AS Monaco and Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig, according to a report from the Daily Mail.

The Blues forward has been tipped for big things at West London but has yet to establish himself in Maurizio Sarri’s senior-team plans after some strong pre-season performances.

Hudson-Odoi featured in Blues’ Community Shield defeat to Manchester City at the start of the campaign but has not been utilised since, prompting speculation surrounding his long-term future in West London.

The 17-year-old ace’s current situation at Blues is said to have caught the attention of former Chelsea sporting director Michael Emenalo, who is now in charge of proceedings at AS Monaco.

RB Leipzig, meanwhile, are stated to be keen on continuing their progression of young British prodigies in the near future, with Hudson-Odoi being one player who has piqued their interest.

Hudson-Odoi turns 18 in November and will certainly be interested to be awarded a higher degree of first-team chances in the immediate future.

This season, in all competitions, the technically gifted winger has made 5 appearances, netted 1 assist and provided 1 assist.

Maurizio Sarri has reportedly told his club to beat the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool to Piotr Zielinski and Kali­dou Koulibaly with a £130 million double bid, according to an exclusive report by TEAMtalk.

TEAMtalk report that the Italian manager has informed those behind the scenes at West London that he wants to bring the two Partenopei players to London in the summer.

Sarri believes that both Zielinski and Koulibaly could help Chelsea compete against the very best next campaign.

Both players have been long-term targets for the Blues, with Koulibaly often connected with a Premier League move in the past. Manchester United have been keeping tabs on Senegalese star for some time now.

Zielinski was connected with Chelsea over the summer transfer market, with Sarri, a huge admirer of the star.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are also keen and are expected to push to land the player in either January or the summer.

Sarri worked with the Polish star at Empoli and was also interested in bringing him to London, but Napoli reportedly blocked any further transfer activity between the two sides after lengthy negotiations during the summer.

Davide Zappacosta’s time at Maurizio Sarri’s Chelsea could be about to come to an end as it has been revealed that Serie A side Napoli are considering making a move for Italian star in January.

The 26-year-old star joined Chelsea in August 2017 for around €28 million, but he’s been little more than an afterthought for both Maurizio Sarri and Antonio Conte.

Italy international is undoubtedly behind Cesar Azpilicueta in the pecking order in terms of Blues right-backs, while it looks like Maurizio would instead use Victor Moses there too, so playing time seems like it will be limited for Zappacosta.

As per reports in the Italian media, Napoli are in the market for a new right back, and Davide is on their shortlist of targets, along with Ajax’s Nicolas Tagliafico, Manchester United’s Matteo Darmian and SPAL’s Manuel Lazzari.

Earlier this year, Davide admitted that he could look for a move back to Serie A if he wasn’t going to get regular playing time and with just one league match to his name so far this campaign, he could push for a January transfer.

Olivier Giroud has revealed that Ligue 1 side Marseille made contact over a potential deal to sign him from Chelsea.

Speaking to a French outlet L’Equipe, the former Arsenal player says he never considered the prospect of leaving Blues so soon after joining.

“We did not go as far as we can say, there was really a contact the year before, but nothing concrete this I had just arrived in Chelsea, it was not the case to pack up again three months later.”

“For me, Chelsea is the best club in England, the one that has won the most titles in the last ten years. They are where I wanted to be: so why leave?”

Marseille were heavily connected with a move to sign the striker during the summer transfer window, and it had been reported that official contact was made.

Olivier opted to compete for his place at the west London giants, with Spanish striker Alvaro Morata struggling to impress in front of goal.

Both forwards have since been battling for the number one spot at Blues, but neither have been prolific in front of goal.

The latter may now fancy his opportunities of earning a starting spot after his late goal versus Southampton, while Giroud himself also played an essential role in assisting Ross Barkley.