Chelsea are now looking at a Champions League midfielder as a potential transfer target late in the January window.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Chelsea squad looks like by the time the mid-season window closes on 3 February. As it stands, there’s plenty of transfer speculation flying around about possible ins and out at Stamford Bridge.
In particular, the Blues midfield is a big talking point at the club right now.
Chelsea’s transfer plans may be impacted by Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia because first-team midfielders are currently injured. Enzo Maresca’s side could now look to keep current players in reserve as cover.
Alternatively, there’s always the option to sign more reinforcements. Or they could recall Andrey Santos or Lesley Ugochukwu from their respective loans to bolster the midfield.
Chelsea interested in Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Chelsea are now keen on a potential deal to sign Juventus star Douglas Luiz on loan.
It is understood that the Italian giants would prefer to sell the 26-year-old defensive midfielder to generate transfer funds, but the Blues only want him on a temporary basis.
The report explains that Chelsea and Juventus are already in talks over a potential deal in January for Blues youngster Renato Veiga. Therefore, the Luiz interest now adds an extra element to the discussions.
Luiz is open to making a Premier League return despite the fact he was only sold by Aston Villa to Juventus last summer. Unfortunately, the Brazilian midfielder can’t nail down a starting position in Turin.
He’s made 17 appearances across all competitions so far this season, including four games in the Champions League group stages. It’s very different from his time at Villa, where he was one of the key figures.
What Joe Cole said about Douglas Luiz last season
Joe Cole previously shared that he massively rated Luiz when he was a Villa player. In fact, during the 2023/24 campaign, he claimed that he was outperforming Moises Caicedo at Chelsea.
“Luiz, he’s outstanding. I’ve always been a big fan of his… He’s performing better than Caicedo, arguably,” Cole told TNT Sports in December 2023.
It’s fair to comment that Caicedo’s debut season last year with the Blues was up and down. In contrast, Luiz’s final year with Villa before his switch to Serie A was spectacular.
We’re not against the idea of bringing Luiz to Stamford Bridge on a short-term basis to plug a hole in the squad for the second half of the season.
Chelsea were linked with Luiz back in 2022 when he was shining at Villa, so it’s interesting to see he’s now back on their radar.
