Five players who could join Chelsea in January

Cameron Smith

• 22 Jan 2024 14:53 GMT
• 4 min read

Chelsea have endured a mixed season under Mauricio Pochettino and Todd Boehly’s huge investment has not yet seen the results it should have.

The Blues have decided to pursue a long-term project that will ensure future success, but after a rough start to the 2023-24 campaign, Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League have been knocked.

While Cole Palmer has hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge, Nicolas Jackson has epitomised the club’s transfer strategy.

He’s shown real promise at times, but it’s clear he is extremely raw and perhaps not ready to compete at the very highest level.

As a result, additional new signings have been touted for the January transfer window.

Given Chelsea’s business last year - in which they bought far too many players - the Blues are reportedly set to adopt a one-in, one-out policy this time around.

However, there are a number of players on the verge of leaving the club, which means arrivals are likely too.

Ian Maatsen and Trevoh Chalobah are destined to depart Chelsea in January and their pursuit of a striker could see them dip into the market. But, which five players could move to Stamford Bridge during the winter window?

Victor Osimhen (Napoli)

This one is certainly far-fetched, but stranger things have happened in football. Chelsea appear desperate to sign a world-class number nine and Victor Osimhen is the best available option.

Napoli have no intention of selling the Nigeria international mid-season after his recent contract extension, but given Boehly's propensity for spending huge sums of money, it would be foolish to rule out a move for Osimhen in January.

Leny Yoro (Lille)

Just like Napoli, Lille will aim to retain their prized assets in January, but Leny Yoro is being tracked by several elite European clubs and Chelsea are one of them.

He is a regular at Lille at just 18 years old and given Chelsea’s use of the French market over the past year (six French players have joined the club since 2022), signing Yoro would make sense.

Chalobah is on his way out and given Thiago Silva’s age, signing another centre-back makes perfect sense, even if Axel Disasi only arrived in the summer.

Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad)

A potential Osimhen alternative could be Karim Benzema. The Al-Ittihad striker is unsettled in Saudi Arabia and is reportedly keen to depart. Chelsea and Arsenal have both been credited with an interest in him, though the latter appear the more likely to land him.

However, Chelsea are in more desperate need of a short-term fix and could push ahead of Arsenal if they desire. Moreover, the Mykhailo Mudryk transfer saga already showed that the Blues are not afraid to hijack big-money Gunners deals.

Roony Bardghji (Copenhagen)

Rooney Bardghji is another young talent who is being monitored by Chelsea and Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that major European clubs are sniffing around ahead of the January window.

The Copenhagen starlet scored a stunner against Manchester United in the Champions League, but Chelsea were pursuing a move before that even happened and that could prove crucial as they look to wrap up a deal amid competition from the likes of Juventus.

Jhon Duran (Aston Villa)

Although Osimhen, Ivan Toney and Viktor Gyokeres currently top Chelsea's striker wish-list, the Blues are also keen on landing Jhon Duran on a loan deal from Aston Villa, as per reports.

The Colombian striker was chased by Chelsea before he left Chicago Fire for Villa Park last year and the west London club remain admirers.

Any move would be a loan one, but Villa are unlikely to offload Duran in the final week of the transfer window, despite Chelsea's interest. Duran has even recently stated that a move to Stamford Bridge would be "a dream", although he also added that his focus remains on performing for Unai Emery's side.