Chelsea may have set their sights on a shock January target.placeholder image
Chelsea may have set their sights on a shock January target. | Getty Images
The first January signing to arrive at Chelsea may be a major surprise - and come at the expense of a Premier League rival.
Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea remain in a strong position both domestically and in Europe, and will hope that they can put together a challenge for silverware under their new head coach after he replaced Enzo Maresca at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues rose into the Champions League top eight after a 1-0 victory over Pafos on Wednesday night, with Moisés Caicedo scoring the decisive goal to make it three victories from four matches in all competitions for the former Strasbourg boss. The west London outfit remain in both cup competitions and are in contention for a top four place in the Premier League, which was believed to be the club’s internal aim for the season both before and after they opted to sack Club World Cup winner Maresca.
Shock transfer links emerge as Douglas Luiz ‘considered’ at Stamford Bridge
According to reports by David Ornstein for The Athletic, Chelsea are “considering” making a move to sign Douglas Luiz on loan from Juventus for the remainder of the season.
The Brazil international midfielder is currently out on loan at Nottingham Forest but has only featured 14 times for the Tricky Trees this term, only two of those being league starts under current boss Sean Dyche.
Luiz’s season-long deal at the City Ground includes a purchase obligation dependent on a certain number of appearances, but it is currently unclear whether this will be triggered. Chelsea are said to view the 27-year-old as a “good fit’”for Rosenior’s side and are contemplating doing a deal with Juventus which would see his Forest loan terminated.
The former Aston Villa star joined the Old Lady for £43m in summer 2024 but struggled to establish himself in Turin – and former club Aston Villa are also reported to be interested in a move for their former player, per Fabrizio Romano.
Romano wrote on X: “Chelsea and Aston Villa are both considering a loan move for Douglas Luiz this window. Genuine interest as #NFFC can let Luiz leave, go back to Juventus and join new club on loan. Chelsea see him as option for depth in midfield, as The Athletic reported.”
Luiz move would represent clear outlier in recruitment policy
Chelsea making a mid-season move for Luiz would certainly come as a surprise, particularly considering the club’s usual business model under BlueCo over recent seasons. At 27, Luiz would represent a short-term move with limited resale value if he were to subsequently arrive permanently, something almost alien to the Blues under their current ownership.
The 18-cap Brazil international could be valuable to Rosenior and his squad for the remainder of the campaign, however, boasting experience both in the Premier League and in European competition, and is likely to be content with a rotation role behind regular starters Caicedo and Enzo Fernández. With Roméo Lavia and Dário Essugo both suffering with injury problems for much of the season and 21-year-old Andrey Santos their only other natural option in the middle of the park, making a short-term move for a more experienced player certainly makes some sense - though Luiz’s lack of first-team action in a struggling Forest side raises significant alarm bells.
Quite remarkably, Luiz would be the third-oldest player to feature for the Blues this term, after 28-year-old duo Robert Sánchez and Tosin Adarabioyo. Rival interest from his former employers Villa adds a level of intrigue into the situation, with both clubs currently in need of midfield options and offering different, but equally valuable, propositions to Luiz at present.
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