Chelsea line up two Alejandro Garnacho alternatives as Fabrizio Romano makes 'could leave' claim

Chelsea are back to winning ways after a run of five straight league games without a win. The Blues saw off Wolves on Monday night, returning to the top four after a bumpy festive and early winter period that saw them temporarily drop below Newcastle United.

Attention now turns to a tough-looking clash with Manchester City this weekend, and in the meantime, Enzo Maresca and the club’s recruitment staff will be keeping their eyes out for a new signing, while departures are also likely. Here we round up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding Stamford Bridge.

Garnacho alternatives

Chelsea are already said to have two back-up options in case they miss out on Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho. The Blues are said to have held talks over a Garnacho deal, but Napoli are also pushing for a deal and may get more favourable terms given the Red Devils wouldn’t be selling to a rival.

According to The Athletic, Chelsea already have back-up plans, though, and may spring into action to move for Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens or Athletic Bilbao’s Nico Williams if they miss out. Gittens is likely to cost £80million or more by recent estimations, while Williams would cost around £50.7million, but the value of his release clause must be paid upfront and in full.

Defensive situation

Fabrizio Romano says Chelsea will only consider offloading two players from the centre-back position amid strong form from Tosin Adarabioyo and the decision to recall Trevoh Chalobah from Crystal Palace.

“The same with the player’s side, he is very happy at Chelsea and playing under Maresca, so the players who could leave in that position are Axel Disasi and Renato Veiga,” Romano said on his YouTube channel.

Madueke criticism

Chelsea boss Maresca was disappointed that Noni Madueke tailed off after scoring against Wolves on Monday night. He said after the game: “He can improve in the last third, but probably after he scored the goal he stopped playing. This has to be one thing we need to improve immediately.

“Never happy if you score one or two – always you have to go for more. We just try always to help them to improve. After the goal, he was probably a little bit tired, but it’s the moment we need to go for more.”