Jose Mourinho prepares transfer raid to lure forgotten Chelsea star to Roma
Roma have enquired about the possibility of signing Trevoh Chalobah from Chelsea in January.
Jose Mourinho's side are expected to dip into the market to bring in a new centre-back, with Chris Smalling and Marash Kumbulla both sidelined for several months. In fact, Mourinho didn't even name one recognised central defender on the bench for their 2-0 defeat against Bologna last weekend, as Diego Llorente, Evan Ndicka and Gianluca Mancini started in a back three.
And according to Sky Sports Italia, Roma are now eyeing up a move for Chalobah in the winter transfer window to solve their defensive worries. The Giallorossi have already made a formal request to Chelsea to sign the 24-year-old, who is expected to leave Stamford Bridge in January.
Last week, it was reported that Chelsea are ready to sanction Chalobah's exit next month, with Ian Maatsen and Noni Madueke also on the chopping block. The Blues will have to sell players in January if they want to sign a big-money forward to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
Chalobah has not played a single minute of first-team football for Chelsea this season after suffering a thigh injury during a pre-season friendly. Crystal Palace and Bayern Munich are among the others linked with a move for Chalobah, who has two-and-a-half years left on his contract in west London.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rushOn Friday morning, Chelsea provided an update on Chalobah's condition and revealed he is "continuing to undergo his rehabilitation programme". There is no date set on a potential return for Chalobah, who made 33 appearances in all competitions for the Blues last season.
With Chalobah's future firmly up the air, Mauricio Pochettino spoke back in September about the centre-back and the role he has to play at Chelsea. "What I can tell you is there is two parts," Pochettino explained at the time. "If an offer appears, it is because another part of the club accepted it to move or they were trying to find a solution or the player wanted to leave.
"You cannot only blame the club, if an offer appears for Jesus [Perez, my assistant], it is because Jesus was open to receiving the offer, no? Come on, we need to also be clever. Did you receive an offer, Jesus [laughs]?!
"No, but it is always easy to blame the club and blame the club. In the same way, maybe the player was thinking in pre-season or before the season to move in one direction. If after that didn’t happen, then I am fair with the player. I will give them a chance to perform and play here.
"Maybe the player decides to stay after but that’s the business. That is not 'oh the club accepted the offer' or 'the player wanted to move'. Come on, it is the business that we know very well. The players that are here if they deserve will have the opportunities to play but they need to be better than the others in their position."