Major Chelsea transfer an 'open situation' as Romano drops double update

Tom Weber

• Updated: 31 Jan 2024 17:00 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea could be set for an explosive end to the January transfer window, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Italian transfer expert has delivered two major updates on the futures of Trevoh Chalobah and Armando Broja, both of whom have been transfer-listed by Chelsea.

Chalobah has been the subject of speculation for months, with the academy product not featuring under Mauricio Pochettino this season due to injury. The 24-year-old was already a candidate to be offloaded in the summer, but nothing ultimately materialised.

Things have been quiet again so far in January, though Atletico Madrid recently explored a deal. However, according to Romano, the player's wage demands proved too great and the Spaniards signed former Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista on LaLiga Deadline Day instead.

“Trevoh Chalobah was considered by Atletico Madrid, but he’s considered too expensive in terms of salary, they believe Chalobah’s salary is too high," Romano told CaughtOffside. "We have to see what happens in the final 24 hours, it’s still an open situation for Chalobah.”

Broja wanted by Fulham

Chalobah isn't the only one who could yet depart Stamford Bridge. Andrey Santos could be heading on loan to RC Strasbourg and Armando Broja could be on his way to local rivals Fulham.

According to Romano, the Cottagers have launched a late loan bid with an option to buy the 22-year-old striker in the summer. However, the Italian transfer expert was not able to reveal whether or not this offer could be deemed acceptable by the Blues hierarchy.

Chelsea also received a loan proposal from Wolves for the Albanian on Tuesday but rejected the offer as they are keen to offload Broja permanently either by means of a straightforward transfer or via a loan with a purchase obligation.

The Blues have reportedly slapped a price tag ranging between €30 million and €50m on Broja, which has thus far proved a major stumbling block given his unimpressive goalscoring record and recent ACL injury.