10 players who could join Chelsea in January

Cameron Smith

• Updated: 5 Jan 2023 16:41 GMT
• 6 min read

In their first summer under the ownership of Todd Boehly, Chelsea went out and spent big in a bid to lure in Manchester City and Liverpool in the Premier League title race and begin to pull away from the chasing pack.

Marc Cucurella, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, Raheem Sterling and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all came through the door at Stamford Bridge, but the Blues aren't yet satisfied and have already signed Benoit Badiashile from Monaco for £35 million and striker David Datro Fofana from Molde.

They topped the spending charts across the entirety of Europe in the 2022 summer transfer window, but are ready to go again in January with yet more acquisitions. FootballTransfers lists 10 players Chelsea could sign during the January transfer window.

READ: Premier League 2022/23 January transfers: All the Done Deals

Youssoufa Moukoko

This transfer rumour has appeared from nowhere, with the young German forward now heavily linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

Youssoufa Moukoko was included as a wildcard option in Hansi Flick's Germany squad for the 2022 World Cup, but saw just nine minutes of action in Qatar as they crashed out at the first hurdle.

However, having bulked up since his original breakthrough at Borussia Dortmund, Moukoko is now a key first-team member at just 18 years old and has become the first-choice centre forward following Erling Haaland's departure.

David Ornstein has reported that Chelsea are heavily interested in Moukoko and are preparing a summer bid for the youngster. But, Armando Broja's injury means that the Blues are ready to bring Moukoko to the club in January if they submit an offer deemed worthy enough by Dortmund.

Adrien Rabiot

Manchester United were in the race to sign French international Adrien Rabiot during the summer window, but a deal was never completed.

However, Fichajes have reported that Chelsea are now eyeing up the potential of signing the Juventus midfielder in an effort to combat their issues in the middle of the park.

N'Golo Kante and Jorginho are both set to leave the club in 2023 unless they sign new contracts, and the Blues are in the market for a new central midfielder, with Rabiot reportedly on their wishlist.

Arsen Zakharyan

This is a transfer that seems to be a case of 'when' not 'if'. Arsen Zakharyan has publicly stated his wish to join Chelsea following their interest in the summer and it appears as though the move will be completed as soon as possible.

Whether that is in January or next summer remains to be seen, but it's likely that the talented Russian attacking midfielder will be plying his trade for the Blues in the not too distant future.

Christopher Nkunku

Christopher Nkunku is another player who seems destined to join Chelsea, although it's more likely that he makes the switch to West London next summer.

However, there's still a chance that he moves in January, although the injury that ruled him out the World Cup could come into Chelsea's thinking before pursuing a deal early. But, Broja's injury may mean they're encouraged to push on and get a deal across the line.

With 35 goals and 20 assists in all competitions in the 2021/22 season, it's no surprise that Chelsea are keen to add him to their stuttering forward line.

Edson Alvarez

Edson Alvarez was inches away from joining Chelsea on Deadline Day in the summer transfer window, but the Blues were unable to agree a fee with Ajax and they ended up signing Denis Zakaria on loan from Juventus instead.

Six months later, however, they could finally land their man, with the Mexican international still a player of great interest to the club. However, it remains to be seen if new boss Graham Potter is keen to add the 25-year-old to his squad.

Leandro Trossard

This is a transfer target solely down to Potter's time at Brighton. Leandro Trossard grew immensely as a player under Potter's tenureship on the south coast. He was also crucial to the Englishman's tactical flexibility, equally capable of playing as a left-wing-back or a left winger, which allowed Potter to adjust his system mid-game.

That is something that Potter has tried to do with both Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic to a varying degree of success. With Trossard potentially on the market in January due to the fact his contract at The Amex Stadium will expire next June, Chelsea could sign him in January.

Josko Gvardiol

Josko Gvardiol's transfer value and worldwide attention has grown tenfold thanks to his performances at the 2022 World Cup for Croatia, and he remains linked with Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit are long-term admirers of the young centre-back, but opted against signing him in the summer due to RB Leipzig's valuation. Instead, they added Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella to strengthen their backline.

However, there's still a chance that the Blues go back in for Gvardiol in January as they reportedly remain keen to land him, although a mid-season move may be unlikely with the arrival of fellow left-footed centre-back Badiashile.

Andrey Santos

Chelsea were keen to sign talented youngsters in the summer, with the likes of Gabriel Slonina, Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casedei joining the club's under-23 side in recent times, and Vasco de Gama midfielder Andrey Santos could be next in line to arrive at Stamford Bridge.

The 18-year-old has impressed in the second tier of Brazil and has been described as one of the country's brightest prospects, with Chelsea reportedly set to beat the likes of Newcastle and Barcelona to the signing of Santos for around £20m.

Joao Felix

As mentioned, Joao Felix is likely to leave Atletico Madrid this winter if the Spanish giants are able to recoup a fair portion of the €127 million they spent on him.

Manchester United are the team who are seemingly leading the race to sign Felix, but Chelsea have joined the Red Devils, Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus in the race to land the Portuguese international.

With Atleti needing funds, a January exit is on the cards so Chelsea could swoop if they believe Felix is the right player for their current squad.

Rafael Leao

This move seems slightly unrealistic, but given Chelsea's previous interest in AC Milan superstar Rafael Leao, the Blues could swoop in January in order to arrest their current run of form.

The Portuguese international didn't feature too much at the 2022 World Cup, but he remains a key target for the Stamford Bridge side and if they believe he can save their season then they could make a sensational bid.