Football news - Chelsea to target left-back and forward as transfer embargo cut short

Now suddenly free to make new signings, there could be considerable change at Stamford Bridge in the new year.

At 30 Cesar Azpilicueta is said to be getting a bit long in the tooth, where Chelsea have favoured younger players, while other players such as Pedro and Giroud are soon to be out of contract and likely to leave in the summer. Both Marcos Alonso and Emerson have failed to cement themselves as a starter at left-back, meanwhile Ross Barkley could also be on the way out.

Reports suggest Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell could be targeted by Chelsea boss Frank Lampard.

Though arguably, with the Foxes cementing themselves in second in the league, a move to Chelsea could actually be a step down for Chilwell, who may be keen to see out the remainder of his season at the King Power stadium before seeing what options present themselves in the summer.

Former Blues player Nathan Ake left the club to head to Bournemouth back in 2017 at a time when the team were blessed with a wealth of defensive options, though he could now be brought back, according to reports.

In terms of forwards, there have been rumours about possible links between the Blues and Jadon Sancho, who is thought to be unhappy in the Bundesliga after rumours of a rift between him and Dortmund manager Lucien Favre.

Reports suggest Lampard is hoping Sancho might be lured to South West London by England teammates Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha is a possible alternative. The 27-year-old has looked set to move on from Crystal Palace for some time now, and looked set to join Arsenal last summer, though the North Londoners’ bid was rejected by Palace who deemed it to be too low.

It’s thought that a bid of around £80m would be enough to convince Palace to sell up.