5 players who have been linked with January moves to Chelsea

#3 Attila Szalai

Earlier this month, Hungary boss Marco Rossi stunned football fans when he claimed Attila Szalai was moving to Chelsea. He added the defender's move was a done deal, but Fenerbahce has rebuffed his claims.

"It's hard to name just one player, but right now I see very well Attila Szalai, who plays for Fenerbahce, but I think he is joining Chelsea. Clearly, he has been followed by important clubs in Spain, but apparently his move to Chelsea is a done deal. He would be a great player also for Italian football."

While the 'done deal' part has been rejected, Chelsea's interest in Szalai is reportedly still on. The Blues see the defender as a possible long-term replacement for Thiago Silva, who could pen a new deal for another season at Stamford Bridge.

Sevilla and Atletico Madrid are also said to be interested in the Hungarian defender.

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#2 Jules Kounde

Chelsea tried to sign Jules Kounde in the summer and had a deal agreed with Sevilla. However, the Spanish club had set a deadline for the transfer to take place, and the Blues did not take it seriously.

Sevilla ended up increasing their asking price when Chelsea went back for the Frenchman, and that saw the Blues walk away from the deal. However, reports suggest Kounde could still be on his way to Stamford Bridge as the two clubs are in talks regarding a January move.

ESPN claim Sevilla are looking for €50-60 million for their star defender who has just over two years left on his contract. The 23-year-old has already agreed terms with Chelsea and has a contract offer of 4-5 years on the table.

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#1 Lucas Digne

Ben Chilwell's injury has forced Thomas Tuchel to experiment at left wing-back as Marcos Alonso is unable to deliver in every single game. The German manager has played Saul Niguez, Reece James, Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi in the left wing-back position, but none have been convincing.

Lucas Digne is out of favor at Everton and has been linked with a move to Chelsea. Sunday Mirror (via Metro) claim the Blues are fighting Leicester City and Newcastle United for the Frenchman's signature in the January transfer window.

If Chelsea do manage to sign Digne, Chilwell is very likely to go ahead with his surgery. The Frenchman will have to play second-fiddle once the former Leicester man is back. Since Alonso is very likely to be shipped out next summer, he will take the second left-back spot following the Spaniard's departure.