Chelsea’s Top 5 January transfer targets

#4. Leandro Paredes

Paredes is an excellent passer of the ball

Leandro Paredes is another player Sarri is familiar from his time in the Serie A. However, Paredes did not play under Sarri in Italy despite playing for Empoli for a year on loan.

The Argentine international moved to Italy in 2014 and played for Chievo Verona, Roma and Empoli. He came to fore during the 2015/16 season when he was playing for Empoli on loan and in the following season, he established himself as a key player at Roma in a season where they challenged for the league title. However, in 2017, he left Itay to join Russian Premier League side Zenit Saint Petersburg despite interest from clubs in Europe’s Top 5 leagues.

It looks like his time in Russia could come to an end in January as Chelsea are seeking central midfielders to allow Cesc Fabregas to move to Monaco and to compensate for the injury to Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

The 24-year-old has all the traits necessary to play in Sarri’s midfield but it remains to be seen how quickly and how well he can make the transition from Russia to England.