Pochettino gives Chelsea three-man transfer list after rejecting Barcelona star

Suraj Radia

• 24 Jan 2024 18:32 GMT
• 3 min read

Mauricio Pochettino is firming his grip on Chelsea’s transfer plans, with the Blues looking to reinforce their squad and continue slowly turning their season round.

Chelsea qualified for the Carabao Cup final this week and have won seven of their last nine games in all competitions – one less than the amount of wins they had all season prior to this run.

Like most teams this month, Chelsea find themselves at the mercy of financial fair play restrictions, having spent more than €1 billion on players in the previous three transfer windows, which means they are unlikely to make any major signings in the next week.

However, according to Catalan outlet El Nacional, Pochettino has asked Chelsea’s hierarchy for three players in particular, having rejected the chance to sign Raphinha from Barcelona.

Raphinha turned down Chelsea to move to Barcelona in 2022 – a decision which has led to the club losing their interest in the winger despite him now being available for transfer once again.

Instead, Pochettino has reportedly named Bruno Guimaraes, Victor Osimhen and Girona left-back Miguel Gutierrez as his top three targets for the club to pursue in the coming months.

The details behind Chelsea’s top three transfer targets

Guimaraes is expected to be one of the most in-demand players in the summer, with his contract containing a release clause of more than €100m, with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona among the clubs interested in the Newcastle star.

Osimhen, meanwhile, admitted this week that he had already decided his future, having outlined his ambition to one day play in the Premier League, and the Napoli striker also has a release clause in excess of €100m in his contract.

Chelsea are thought to be frontrunners for Osimhen due to the Nigerian’s admiration for the club, having grown up watching Blues legend Didier Drogba, although they will face competition from the likes of Arsenal and Real Madrid in the 25-year-old.

As for Gutierrez, the 22-year-old has been a standout performer for La Liga leaders Girona this season, with Pochettino said to consider the ex-Real Madrid youngster a ‘sensational’ signing to strengthen the left side of his team.