Chelsea’s season hit something of a road bump with a humiliating 5-2 defeat to West Brom in their last Premier League match.
The shock result brought Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten start as Blues boss to an emphatic end and worryingly, opened the door for the chasing pack in the hunt for a top four place.
In Europe however, Chelsea have one foot in the Champions League semi final following a 2-0 first leg win against Porto.
With the club also in the FA Cup semi final, the Stamford Bridge outfit could end the season on a spectacular high, but will certainly want to put themselves in a position to challenge for the Premier League next time around.
With that in mind, here is your latest Chelsea gossip:
Striker chase hots up with new man added to shortlist
It’s no secret that Tuchel is looking to refresh his Chelsea frontline in the summer with the club eyeing a big money move for Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
The 20-year-old hotshot may be the Blues’ number one target but Marina Granovskaia and the club hierarchy are certainly not putting all their eggs in that Norweigian-shaped basket.
Manchester City ’s Sergio Aguero has strongly been linked with the player set to leave the Etihad this summer, and former striker Romelu Lukaku is also reportedly being considered.
According to ESPN, the Belgian might not be the only Inter striker attracting admiring glances from Stamford Bridge with Argentine Lautaro Martinez also another name on the list.
With 17 goals this season, the 23-year-old could be in line for a move to London but is likely to cost upwards of £60million.
Chelsea join chance for highly-sought after defender
(Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)
Tuchel described his side’s humbling against the relegation-threatened Baggies as a ‘wake up call’ which is likely to mean defensive reinforcements this summer.
The former Dortmund boss had seen his side concede just twice in his previous 14 matches in charge with an inherited squad and will hope to have his own players in place for next season to continue this good work.
According to Spanish publication La Colina De Nervion, Chelsea have joined the race for Sevilla ‘crown jewel’ Jules Kounde.
The defender is set to spark a major bidding war in the summer with Premier League rivals Manchester United and City, as well as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, PSG and Bayern Munich all in a crowded race for the player according to the report.
Midfielder in limbo after loan club decide against permanent deal
Chelsea and Tuchel will also hope to clear the decks this summer with a number of squad players put up for sale when the window opens.
However, one player they may have trouble shifting is midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko who has reportedly fallen out of favour at loan side Napoli in recent months.
(Image: David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images))
The Frenchman, who has failed to settle since his 2017 move to Stamford Bridge had looked to have impressed at the Serie A side earlier this season.
However, according to Football Italia, the player has dropped down the pecking order and the club has opted against making his deal a permanent one.
Bakayoko has made 24 Serie A appearances in total this season but has only started one of Napoli’s last six matches and was left on the bench of the defeat to Juventus in their last outing.
