Chelsea ready to complete major January signing

Chelsea are reportedly ready to dip into the transfer market in order to sign a new defender before the end of the January window.

The Blues are currently languishing down in eighth place in the Premier League table, while they face an uphill battle to qualify for the Carabao Cup final following a 3-2 home defeat to Arsenal in the semi-final first leg on Wednesday night.

Liam Rosenior endured a tough first match at Stamford Bridge versus Mikel Arteta’s side and he opted to make three defensive substitutions during the game in an attempt to thwart Arsenal’s attacking pressure.

His predecessor Enzo Maresca was denied the chance to sign a new defender following Levi Colwill’s anterior cruciate ligament injury in August, with the club instead eager for the Italian to place trust in academy starlet Josh Acheampong and summer signing Jorrel Hato.

However, the Chelsea board have now made a transfer u-turn and they are prepared to accelerate their pursuit of a new defender during the final two weeks of the January window.

That is according to a blockbuster report from The Telegraph’s Matt Law, who claims that Chelsea are ready to sign a centre-back in order to help new boss Rosenior deal with a busy fixture schedule for the remainder of the season.

The west London giants had reportedly initially planned to sell one of their current defenders before landing a replacement, but they are willing to carry an extra body in their first-team squad for the final few months of the campaign if the right signing is available in January.

Which defender will Chelsea attempt to sign in January?

Chelsea were interested in signing Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen before he opted to join Real Madrid instead, while they have been linked with a move for former academy star Marc Guehi on a number of occasions in recent months.

However, FootballTransfers understands that Guehi is in talks to join Manchester City before the end of the winter window, with Arsenal also keeping close tabs on his situation ahead of a possible Bosman move this summer.

Stade Rennais wonderkid Jeremy Jacquet has emerged as a key transfer target for Chelsea over the past few weeks and a move for the Frenchman could feasibly take place this month if the Blues are serious about landing a new centre-back.

Como star Jacobo Ramon is also on the club’s radar, although he has been linked with a return to Real Madrid this summer.

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