Chelsea will go ahead with their January transfer plans despite the shock departure of technical director Michael Emenalo and look to sign Crystal Palace striker Christian Benteke and Everton midfielder Ross Barkley, claims The Daily Mail.
Antonio Conte missed out on a number of key transfer targets over the summer and the defending Premier League champions are ready to back their manager once again in the New Year to boost their chances of silverware.
Chelsea agreed a fee with Everton the signature of Barkley at the end of the summer window only for the England international to pull the plug on a deal to weigh up his options.
Barkley is still recovering from a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined for the whole season and his Everton future remains unclear in the wake of Ronald Koeman’s sacking.
The 23-year-old’s current deal is due to expire at the end of the current campaign and he is widely expected to leave in January, although it remains to be seen whether he can be convinced to stay following Koeman’s departure.
Chelsea can expect stiff competition from Tottenham in the New Year and it has been reported that the main reason Barkley pulled out of a deal to Chelsea in the summer was in order to hold out for a move to Spurs.
Barkley isn’t the only player in Chelsea’s sights, with Palace striker Benteke also on Conte’s radar. The Chelsea manager missed out on Fernando Llorente to Tottenham in the summer and wants to sign another striker to provide competition for Alvaro Morata as doubts still remain over Michy Batshuayi’s suitability.
Like Barkley, Benteke is also on the mend after missing the last six weeks with a knee injury. The Belgium international has returned to training and could return for the relegation strugglers straight after the international break.
Chelsea are currently nine points adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester City and there is a feeling that if the Blues do not back Conte in January then they will almost certainly lose him at the end of the current campaign.
