Chelsea star 'willing' to reduce wages to seal exit as 'interested' admission made

Chelsea return to action on Saturday with the international break now in the rear-view mirror. The breaks are over and done with until the new year, and the Blues will now be looking to establish real momentum as they look to secure Champions League qualification this season.

Enzo Maresca returns to Leicester City in Saturday’s early kick-off, and Chelsea will want to lay down another marker this side of the break to take ownership of third spot. In the meantime, we have rounded up all the latest news and transfer rumours surrounding Stamford Bridge.

Chilwell claim

Ben Chillwell could find himself searching for a new club in January having only played one game all season. Maresca has made it clear he doesn’t value the left-back, and the England international will need to move on if he wants regular football.

According to Tuttosport, Italian giants Juventus are reportedly pushing for his signature, already making moves to line up a deal. The report claims Chilwell may be willing to reduce his salary to get a deal done. It’s likely to be a loan deal, and it has been suggested Chelsea would be happy to offload Chilwell without a loan fee as long as his wages are picked up.

Gilchrist admission

Chelsea youngster Alfie Gilchrist, who has garnered plenty of excitement, is loving life at loan club Sheffield United, already racking up 15 league appearances with the Blades, who are inside the top two as things stand.

“As soon as I heard about Sheffield United, that’s all I was interested in,” said Gilchrist, speaking to Mail+. “I wanted to get here as soon as possible. I’d been here last season when I was on the bench [in a 2-2 draw at home to Chelsea.] I saw the atmosphere and thought this was somewhere I’d like to play. I watched them when they were in the Premier League and I really liked the way they played when they had overlapping centre backs.

“I spoke to the manager, and it was a perfect opportunity for me to show what I can do. It was just the next step for me, you know? There was a big squad at Chelsea, I wanted to play this season, and this is what I needed to do for myself. So far, it’s worked out to be the right decision. I feel like I’m progressing with every game. I’m happy here. Promotion is the aim for us and then next season, we’ll see what happens.”