The Chelsea midfielder had been tipped to leave Stamford Bridge but picked up an assist against Wolves on Monday night.

West Ham and Everton have been sent a fresh transfer update by Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca over the future of Blues midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

The former Leicester City midfielder has struggled for minutes at Stamford Bridge since arriving from the Foxes last summer and had been tipped for a loan exit this month in search of more game time. The Hammers were one of the first clubs linked with interest in the player with LiverpoolWorld carrying reports of admiration from Everton too.

Chelsea forked out £30 million to reunite Dewsbury-Hall with Maresca six months ago, but the player has been afforded just one Premier League start. That came in the 3-1 victory over Wolves on Monday night.

Chelsea unsure on Dewsbury-Hall future

Maresca had previously admitted that "anything can happen" in the January window and that he "cannot say that Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is not for sale". The midfielder picked up an assist against Wolves on Monday and, after the game, Maresca was once again asked about his future.

However, the Chelsea manager seemed to hint at a desire to keep the midfielder at Stamford Bridge. In the same quote, he also refused to categorically rule out a move with West Ham and Everton circling.

He said: “We are not going to take a decision on Kiernan because of Romeo [Lavia] and Enzo [Fernandez]. They are injured, absolutely. I said already, a few days ago or weeks ago, that the intention is to keep Kiernan but then because we are in January anything can happen.”

West Ham have lacked bite in the centre of the park this season with Julen Lopetegui signings Carlos Soler and Guido Rodriguez not taking the top flight by storm. There remains a hole left by the departure of Declan Rice to Arsenal in 2023.

West Ham hold advantage over Everton in transfer race

The Hammers would hold an advantage over Everton in any transfer race given that the Toffees would not be able to sign Dewsbury-Hall on loan. David Moyes' side already have Armando Broja on loan from Stamford Bridge and Premier League rules stop any one loan signing more than one player on a temporary basis from a top flight rival.

When asked about his transfer plans for this month at West Ham, Graham Potter said: “No, I don’t think there’s an expectation. In every window there's always a responsibility for the club to look and to see if there's anything that can help us, whether that's short-term, medium-term, long-term.

“The January window is not the most easy of windows, it can be complicated. So, I have no expectations in terms of that. “It’s more that my focus is on the team that we've got, the players that we've got, how I can try to help them. And then at the same time, always be aware of opportunities that can come.”