Chelsea outcast offered Serie A lifeline as Barcelona eye double Blues swoop

Chelsea have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of Sunday’s clash against Liverpool, with the news that club captain Reece James is now back in full training.

The England defender was expected to return from the hamstring injury he sustained in pre-season last month but his return was pushed back indefinitely. With such a history of injuries, and having played no part in pre-season training, it is unlikely the 24-year-old will be back in immediate action but his presence in the ongoing training sessions will undoubtedly be a huge boost for the SW6 squad.

While Maresca celebrates the return of James, here is the latest news from around the Stamford Bridge camp...

Chelsea outcast offered Serie A lifeline

Ben Chilwell has reportedly caught the eye of Serie A giants Napoli. The English defender has seemingly been considered surplus to Enzo Maresca’s requirements for this campaign, with Marc Cucurella now the first-choice left-back.

The 27-year-old has featured in just one game all season - the Carabao Cup match against Barrow - and while he was made available for a sale in the summer transfer window, a move failed to materialise.

Now, however, with the January transfer window two-and-a-half months away, The Sun has reported that former Premier League-winning manager Antonio Conte is now ready to offer Chilwell a way out of Stamford Bridge with the ex-Blues boss said to be a fan of the England international.

Barcelona eye double Chelsea swoop

The Barcelona sporting director Deco has been eyeing potentially economic options for the January transfer window with the Blues duo of Carney Chukwuemeka and Romeo Lavia both on his radar.

The report on Football.Espana details that the Blues pair would be offered a loan move to the La Liga giants, with Barcelona’s finances still heavily limited. However, it is not yet known whether the side’s head coach Hansi Flick would sign off on such moves with the German head boss reportedly already intervening in the board’s summer hunt for a new midfielder.

This would not be the first Deco tried to secure Lavia’s signature with the Camp Nou club reportedly attempting to sign him on loan two summers ago from Southampton. However, following a bidding war between Liverpool and Chelsea, the 20-year-old defensive midfielder joined the Blues for £50m.