Chelsea have been linked with two Bundesliga stars from the same club – and the pair could have a huge impact on the Blues’ Premier League title charge.
Enzo Maresca’s side have shocked fans this season and currently sit second in the English top-flight, just four points behind Liverpool, who have a game in hand after last week’s postponed Merseyside derby.
Maresca, 44, replaced Mauricio Pochettino as Chelsea boss in the summer of 2024 and came into what seemed an unstable environment with the club either signing or loaning 13 first-team players in the summer transfer window registering a combined spend of around £220m, according to ESPN.
However, the Italian has brought a sense of calm to the club, helped by the exploits of star man Cole Palmer, of course.
Strangely, having so many players is seemingly working as the former Leicester boss makes wholesale changes for non-Premier League matches, allowing his key men to rest and avoid gruelling journeys like Thursday’s trip to Taraz, Kazakhstan, for the 3-1 Conference League victory against Astana.
But if Chelsea are to mount a realistic challenge for the Premier League, several ‘problem’ areas may still need to be addressed.
Question marks surround the quality of goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, and aside from striker Nicolas Jackson’s good form, Maresca is short of true centre-forwards.
As a result, the club may look to recruit in January, with Borussia Dortmund duo Gregor Kobel and Karim Adeyemi linked with a move to west London, as reported by Sky Deutschland.
Chelsea have been linked with a move for Gregor Kobel (Credit:Getty)
Chelsea have been linked with a move for Gregor Kobel (Credit:Getty)
Adeyemi’s new agent, Ali Barat, is thought to have a “positive relationship” with Chelsea as the club has had the player “on their radar” for some time, according to ESPN.
Adeyemi, 22, can play both as a winger and forward but has struggled to secure a regular starting spot in Dortmund’s team this season. His current deal is set to expire in June 2027 and he has a Transfermarkt valuation of €35m (£29.1m).
Kobel, 27, is the club’s first-choice ‘keeper and has performed consistently since becoming the team’s ‘number-one’ in 2021. The Swiss shotstopper's contract is set to run until June 2028, and he is valued at €40m (£33.3m) by Transfermarkt.
It is unclear if Dortmund would be willing to sell both or even just one of the players.
What Enzo Maresca said about January transfers
Ahead of Chelsea's European match on Thursday, Maresca gave his take on the January transfer window.
"No, we are not thinking at all about the January transfer window," he said.
"We still have many games before that; we have, I think, six Premier League games plus two Conference League games. We have many, many games before January and our focus is about how many games we have before that."