Chelsea transfer news with the latest Blues rumours ahead of the January window including stories on Cristiano Ronaldo a new centre-back

Cristiano Ronaldo could be on his way back to the Premier League soon (Image: STR/AFP via Getty Images)

It simply wouldn’t be a Chelsea transfer window without some remarkable stories and here they have started again. One week before the January window even opens and there remains talk of a move for Victor Osimhen, Ivan Toney and now even former Coventry City man Viktor Gyokeres.

In midfield and player of the season Conor Gallagher is seemingly up for sale despite captaining the side for the 11th time this season away at Wolves on Sunday and Romeo Lavia only making his first matchday squad at the same time. The defence has been full of flux but could yet see more change.

Ian Maatsen and Trevoh Chalobah may well depart, Thiago Silva could follow them at the end of the season and despite signing Axel Disasi over the summer, there are fresh links to a new centre-back too. With Reece James and Marc Cucurella injured there are questions over the need for a new full-back too.

It wouldn’t be a transfer window without Chelsea and it wouldn’t be Chelsea without big links and bad decisions. Here, football.london has the latest in world of moves.

Firstly, Cristiano Ronaldo’s name is back on the lips of English football fans. This comes not because he has scored in Saudi Arabia again – does anybody actually watch that those games? – but due to the voice of legendary boxing promoter Fran Warren. Tweeting online after an image of Ronaldo and himself emerged online, Warren joked that he was ‘working’ on a deal.

In response to a post claiming that the former Manchester United man was ‘signing for Arsenal’, Warren responded saying: “Working on it.” The pair were seen to be laughing and joking at the ‘Day of Reckoning’ boxing event in the Middle East. Chelsea have been linked with Ronaldo before so this begs the question, could the Blues take advantage of Warren for something truly sensational here?

football.london says: Well, no! Ronaldo is banging them in at his newest club but frankly the standard in the Saudi Pro League doesn’t count for much even after the influx of talent. Not only is there absolutely no indication that Ronaldo is looking for a move or that Chelsea would go close to matching their level of interest in the 38-year-old from two years ago, it just doesn’t make sense.

The Blues are looking for a new striker, sure, and an experienced one at that, but Ronaldo isn’t that guy. He wasn’t that guy when he left Manchester United, he wasn’t that guy when he left Juventus and he certainly isn’t now. Mauricio Pochettino might want experience and some readymade quality but he doesn’t want this.

It shouldn’t even be considered, frankly. Ronaldo is hardly the type of player Pochettino would need to enhance this team even if his scent for goal did bring a new element of potency to the side. With Nicolas Jackson and the returning Christopher Nkunku, Chelsea have two players who will combine to offer much more to the team that Ronaldo’s individual options.

Warren might fancy himself as auxiliary agent in the football world but Chelsea are too smart even if this did ever become a thing.

From a player at one end of the career spectrum to another and attention turns to the opposite end of the pitch. In defence Chelsea are preparing for yet more change. There could be at least three of the current crop departing in the next six months with three of those possibilities to go next month.

The current flavour of choice is Sporting CP’s Ousmane Diomande. At 20 years old he cetainly fits the bill for New Chelsea signings and dipping into the Portuguese league has become a more common occurence in recent windows too.

Reports state that the Ivorian has a £69million ($87m) release clause and that he has been watched by Chelsea in recent weeks. Scouts are said to have been in attendance as Sporting took on Porto last week with attention also on Gyokeres.

So, with Chalobah on his way, Silva a doubt to stay on at Stamford Bridge for much longer, is going big on another young defender the answer and if so, what will the scouting mission have shown?

football.london says: Chelsea may well need a new defender in the coming months but to effectively replace a 39-year-old with someone that hasn’t played in England before would be a bold and, dare we say it, risky and wrong move. The backline is already lacking in much experience and largely consists of new players to the first team, asking Diomande to change this and have a positive impact is a big call.

He also doesn’t come cheap. As was the case with Disasi, there would be questions over what Diomande can bring that Chalobah cannot. The Englishman is versatile – he can even play in midfield – and is homegrown. This actually appears to work against him given that selling off Cobham graduates for pure profit is one of the new ownership’s ways to make up for poor recruitment and planning.

There is no doubt that Diomande is promising, though, and his physical attributes as well as ball-playing and carrying ability make him extremely desireable. Just how that combines with a Chelsea team lacking much identity isn’t clear.

Diomande himself can play in a back three and four as a right sided, central option or full-back. Push him to wing-back and there would be little problem on occasion too. Against Porto he played the full 90 minutes in a 2-0 win, completing two clearances, an interception, half of his ground duels, all of his aerial battles and offered plenty of variety in possession.

It is clear to see why he is just so popular but in terms of value for money right now and fitting the profile of just what Chelsea need, it’s far from certain.