Four transfers Chelsea could complete before Deadline Day – Ornstein

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 29 Jan 2024 13:30 GMT
• 3 min read

Chelsea are expected to be busy before transfer Deadline Day, with David Ornstein revealing that there are still four potential deals bubbling away at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues have not been active in terms of signing players during the January window yet, with Financial Fair Play (FFP) restrictions blocking them from competing several potentially exciting deals.

Ornstein revealed that any prospect of landing Karim Benzema partly broke down because of the finances involved in the deal, while FootballTransfers has exclusively revealed that Antonio Nusa was another target who the Blues missed out on because of economic restrictions.

But there remains one player who may yet arrive before the deadline, with Ornstein detailing that Chelsea still have hopes of landing Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran.

“Duran, 20, is viewed by the west London team as possessing vast potential and they have held dialogue about possibly doing a deal — provided the price reduces to a level they deem fair,” Ornstein reports via The Athletic.

“The prospect may be complicated by the ex-Chicago Fire forward being injured, but that does not completely rule out a switch as Duran would be seen mainly as a talent for the future.”

Gallagher headlines potential exits

Chelsea are also seeking to reduce their wage bill and size of their playing squad before the end of January, with Conor Gallagher among three players earmarked to leave.

It is reported that three clubs in the top half of the Premier League table have asked after Gallagher and that a move is “plausible” either now or during the summer. The thinking behind this is to ease the FFP burden on the team because he came through the youth system and any transfer fee recouped would be seen as pure profit.

For this reason, Chelsea are also considering deals for Armando Broja and Trevoh Chalobah, who have both been peripheral to the first team this season. According to The Athletic, Wolves and Fulham are leading the way for the striker.