Chelsea ‘prepare’ mighty £84m transfer bid as ‘contact’ made with World Cup finalist

Chelsea’s preparations for the return of club football have been a little more quiet than many Premier League clubs.

The Blues did lose to Aston Villa in a friendly last week, but unlike many of their rivals, Chelsea have opted not to get plenty of friendlies in before they do get back into action. Graham Potter’s men get back to it a day after Boxing Day, taking on AFC Bournemouth, and they need to hit the ground running following a disappointing start to the season.

The January window will also prove vital, and with that in mind, we have rounded up all the latest transfer news and rumours surrounding Stamford Bridge.

Rabiot latest

Chelsea are said to be in ‘regular contact’ with France and Juventus star Adrien Rabiot.

The midfielder is out of contract at the end of this season and he is yet to make a decision on his future, currently concentrating on the World Cup final. Rabiot could be sold in January if he does not pen a new deal, while clubs outside Italy can also move to sign him to a pre-contract agreement ahead of the summer.

90min report Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham are all in contract, though, reports in Spain claim the midfielder is more interested in joining Barcelona.

Vlahovic bid

Chelsea are also being tipped to make a move for Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic.

The Blues need a striker after losing Armando Broja to injury, and it’s claimed they could splash out to land Vlahovic, who has only been with Juve since earlier this year, though the Italian club do have some financial issues. According to CMW, the Blues are preparing a bid worth £87.46million as they look to fill the void left by Broja, and indeed Lukaku.

It’s claimed Juventus have already sounded out potential replacements for Vlahovic, expecting to lose him in January.