Chelsea defender Axel Disasi is reportedly attracting interest from two European clubs as the Blues consider selling him in the January transfer window.
The 26-year-old is down Enzo Maresca’s pecking order and has only featured three times in the Premier League so far this term, with the likes of Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill preferred by the manager.
Disasi did start in Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Shamrock Rovers in the Europa Conference League, but we’ve seen that Maresca’s squads in Europe can be very different to those in the league.
According to RMC Sport, Disasi ‘could be packing his bags in January’, with clubs around Europe keeping close tabs on his situation.
It’s claimed that Juventus and one unnamed ‘big’ Bundesliga side have ‘made enquiries’ about signing the centre-back in this winter’s transfer window.
The report suggests that Disasi is valued at around €30million (£25m / $31m) by Chelsea, which seems on the low side given the Blues spent £38.5million on him in August 2023.
Juventus are said to be particularly keen on Disasi due to an injury to centre-back Gleison Bremer and have made him a top transfer target.
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Chelsea reluctant to sell Disasi in January
TEAMtalk correspondent Fraser Fletcher reported two weeks ago that Chelsea would sell Disasi if they’re able to bring in a new centre-back to replace him, with Benfica’s Tomas Araujo among their top targets.
However, it’s not a case of Chelsea actively looking to force Disasi out of the club. He is highly valued by his coaches and well-liked by his teammates, with the club pleased with the development he’s shown under Maresca.
From Disasi’s point of view, he isn’t actively looking to leave Chelsea and remains focused on trying to nail down a spot in the starting XI.
Chelsea would consider a suitable bid for the defender and even £25million would be a big outlay for Juventus mid-season, so it remains to be seen whether they do make a concrete bid.
As revealed by TEAMtalk correspondent Ben Jacobs, Chelsea aren’t expecting a particularly busy January window in terms of outgoings. We understand the most likely departures are Ben Chilwell and Carney Chukwuemeka, who have made just one and five appearances respectively this season.
Chelsea round-up: 15-goal striker eyed / Benjamin Sesko talks
Meanwhile, Arsenal and Chelsea are reportedly the main clubs showing ‘strong interest’ in Costa Rica striker Manfred Ugalde.
He has scored 15 goals in 18 league games this season for Spartak Moscow, as well as notching three assists, and it’s believed the Premier League duo have been impressed.
TEAMtalk is aware that interest in big Premier League clubs from Ugalde is legitimate. Indeed, sources state that a number of sides are indeed keeping tabs on him.
At 22 years old, he could continue evolving into a fantastic striker. With a £25million release clause for European clubs, confirmed by TEAMtalk sources, Ugalde certainly be a good option for the Premier League.
In other news, sources have revealed to TEAMtalk that the Blues have held talks with the agents of RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko.
It is no coincidence that recently, after RB Leipzig’s exit from the Champions League, Chelsea asked for updates on Sesko, who has been included in the list of potential Blues targets for next summer.
Chelsea have not yet made a decision, given that the list of striker targets is long, but they are certainly thinking of taking advantage of this complicated European moment for Leipzig to try to obtain a more advantageous price.
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