Your morning digest for Chelsea on Saturday, November 3.
AC Milan contract attempt
Chelsea are interested in signing AC Milan midfielder Ismael Bennacer, according to reports.
The Blues are looking for an overhaul in the middle of the park in 2023 due to the expiring contracts of N'Golo Kante and Jorginho. There hasn't been a permanent signing made in midfield since Mateo Kovacic made his loan move permanent for £40m in 2019.
It's created an issue for Graham Potter and the top targets are all extremely popular picks in the market, meaning there's no certainty that players of the ilk of Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice will join next year. This has created space for Bennacer, who's contract runs out in 2024.
READ MORE: Chelsea wait on Sadio Mane response after Reece James draws Rafael Leao transfer hint
The Milan midfielder may well be available for a cut-price come January, and Chelsea are trying to exploit the circumstances.
Read the full story, here.
Todd Boehly can correct Chelsea mistake
Chelsea have made a good habit out of signing high quality young players. Todd Boehly has kept up that theme with £52m worth of teenage transfers over the summer too.
As reports emerged that the Blues had now moved ahead of Paris Saint-Germain to seal a £12m deal for Vasco da Gama midfielder Andrey Santos it furter demonstrated the level of attention being put into the academy from the new ownership group.
Chelsea have previously missed out on talents like this before though, and notably weren't able to persuade Spain superstar Pedri to join them, with the youngster favouring Barcelona instead.
Read the full story, here.
Martinez criticised for Belgium mistake
Chelsea transfer target Leandro Trossard wasn't used enough at the World Cup, according to former Blues player Frank Leboeuf.
Trossard only started one of the three group games for the Red Devils as they crashed out of the tournament, and by the time he was in the side against Croatia, it was too late.
"You should have taken the risk and played a young guy [Charles De Ketelaere] who played in the Champions League for Club Brugge as a striker,” Leboeuf told ESPN after the loss to Morocco. “And Trossard, I heard that Chelsea wants Trossard.
"And Trossard is on the bench in that Belgium team? That’s impossible, that’s something wrong. Maybe Martinez is the only one that can tell us why he didn’t have the guts to change, maybe he has pressure from somebody else.”
Read the full story, here.
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