Chelsea slash asking price amid interest as Match of the Day pundit issues 'need to know' verdict

Chelsea are suddenly looking over their shoulders after a disappointing draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday. The Blues are now just one point ahead of Newcastle United in fifth, and the Magpies are closing in quickly.

Enzo Maresca’s men will now turn their attention to an FA Cup date with Morecambe after a hugely disappointing festive period. Here we round up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding Stamford Bridge.

Casadei claim

Chelsea will now reportedly sell midfielder Cesare Casadei for just £16million despite initial claims the asking price would be much more than that. The claim comes from Gianluca DiMarzio. A loan was said to be preferred, but Chelsea could now offload the midfielder and include some sort of buy-back option in any deal.

The majority of interest has come from Serie A, with Torino said to be interested. Chelsea spent around £12million to sign the midfielder from Inter Milan, but he has struggled for game time this season after previous loan spells.

Murphy on what Blues are doing wrong

Match of the Day pundit Danny Murphy has issued his verdict on Chelsea’s current struggles. He said: “They need to know when to slow things down, having some men drop off, having someone sitting alongside Moises Caicedo in the base of midfield, instead of this constant trying to go forward.

“Against Fulham, it was similar to today. It ended up being end to end and like a basketball game towards the end, and they lost. There is still the quality there, and they are a young side. I still think they will be strong in the second half of the season.”

Maresca on Chelsea struggles

Maresca is putting his trust in thorough preparation as Chelsea look to turn a frustrating period behind them. He told club media: “First of all I’ve always said the most important thing is to create chances, because if you create chances that means you are doing the right things. Then you need to take those chances.

“In the Ipswich game, we had so many chances. Sometimes that’s football. Sometimes you create one chance and score one, sometimes you need to create 10 chances to score two. The only thing we can do is try to be even more intense during the week when we prepare for the game, even if the intensity of the players is already top, but for sure it is something that we need to improve, remembering that we are one of the best teams for scoring goals at this moment.”