Chelsea now want a Paris Saint-Germain star with a link to the club through midfielder Moises Caicedo, who happens to share the same agent as the Ligue 1 ace.
Chelsea considering new left-back for Enzo Maresca
While a lot of the talk has centered around Chelsea’s hunt for a new centre-back in January, leading to their serious interest in re-signing Marc Guehi from Crystal Palace, it is also believed that a new left-back is on the agenda for 2025.
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Chelsea have held initial discussions with Palace over a deal for Guehi, according to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, with one report from The Sun even claiming that BlueCo lodged a low-ball bid for the England international which was rejected out of hand.
The latter claim is yet to gain traction, but what appears to be certain is that Guehi is attracting serious interest from Chelsea as Enzo Maresca scours the market for a new central defender.
Injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile have exacerbated their need for another body in that area, but it is now claimed that Chelsea could even bring forward their plans to secure left-back cover.
Bournemouth (home)
January 14
Wolverhampton Wanderers (home)
January 20
Man City (away)
January 25
West Ham (away)
February 3
Brighton (away)
February 14
Chelsea have been monitoring Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez in that regard, with Phillips sharing via his Substack that a new full-back is now possible for this month.
Chelsea add PSG left-back Nuno Mendes to left-back shortlist
The reporter also states that PSG left-back Nuno Mendes has found his way on to their list of targets. The Portugal international, rumoured to command a price tag of around £58 million, is out of contract in 2026 and Luis Enrique’s side may be forced into making a tough decision on his long-term future soon.
The 22-year-old was forced to spend the majority of last season out with a hamstring injury, and appears to still be fighting to get back to his best. Mendes has been called one of the best left-backs in world football, though, and he’d be quite the signing for Chelsea in place of the exit-bound Ben Chilwell in that position.
Phillips writes that Chelsea have identified Mendes as a potential signing from PSG, and he interestingly employs the exact same representatives as midfield mainstay Caicedo (AS1), who helped to facilitate the Ecuadorian’s marquee move to Stamford Bridge from Brighton.
That being said, a new full-back in January will apparently depend on whether Renato Veiga leaves.
“Chelsea have many names on the left back shortlist, but the latest one we are now hearing about via a top SPTC source, is PSG’s Nuno Mendes,” wrote Phillips.
“The Portuguese international left back will have a year left on his current contract come the summer of 2025. You hear me speak about opportunities all the time, and there might be one here that Chelsea are looking at. But so are many other clubs, he has a lot of interest.
“So, new left backs will depend on the Veiga situation and whether he pushes to go out to play this month or not. Remember, there are a number of Chelsea fringe players who are frustrated with their current game time and could still push to go this month.”