Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues have to pay £87 million for Antonio Silva; Conor Gallagher backed to excel with Tottenham, and more - January 4, 2024

Chelsea are preparing for their upcoming FA Cup opener against Preston North End on Saturday (January 6) at Stamford Bridge. Mauricio Pochettino's team are coming off 3-2 win over Luton Town at the weekend in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, the Blues have to pay £87 million for the services of Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva. Elsewhere, midfielder Conor Gallagher has been backed to hit the ground running at Tottenham Hotspur.

On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on January 4, 2024:

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Chelsea have to pay £87 million for Antonio Silva

Antonio Silva has admirers at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have been told to pay £87 million for Antonio Silva, according to The Sun. The Blues are looking for a long-term replacement for Thiago Silva, who is in the final phase of his career.

Antonio Silva has been identified as the ideal candidate to take over from the Brazilian defender. The Portuguese is a first-team regular for Benfica and has appeared 23 times across competitions this season.

His efforts have turned heads at Stamford Bridge, so the London giants are planning to prise him away this year. The 20-year-old has a £87 million release clause in his contract.

Chelsea were hoping to lessen the amount by including Armando Broja in their proposal, but Benfica will only let the player go if his release clause is paid in full.

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Conor Gallagher backed to excel with Tottenham Hotspur

Conor Gallagher could leave Stamford Bridge this year

Conor Gallagher could be a great addition to Tottenham Hotspur, according to Sky Sports pundit Darren Ambrose.

The English midfielder has entered the final 18 months of his contract with the Blues but is yet to sign a new deal. Transfer insider Ben Jacobs recently said that the club will let him go for £45-50 million. Meanwhile, The Sun have reported that Spurs are interested in the 23-year-old.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Ambrose also questioned the Blues' reported desire to let Gallagher go.

"I’m surprised that Chelsea would let him (Gallagher) go given the current circumstance they find themselves in. He fits Spurs, 100 per cent… When he was at Crystal Palace he played a role further forward.

"Not only that he works extremely hard. He’s on the front foot, and that’s what I’ve seen from Spurs this season. I think he would definitely fit the bill for Tottenham," said Ambrose.

Gallagher has appeared 23 times across competitions for the London giants this season, starting all but one of them.

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Blues likely to offload players in January

Chelsea are likely to offload multiple players in January, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Blues have spending heavily on their squad in recent windows, bringing in the likes of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, to name a few, in big-money moves. They are yet to receive a return on their investments, with the team struggling this season under Pochettino.

The Argentinean manager is expected to look for solution in the market this month as well. However, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Sheth said that the London giants have to offload players to meet FFP norms.

"First of all, there's all this talk about Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah as well.

"These are two players, of course, who were youth players at Chelsea, so cost them nothing at all. So, if they were to get good transfer fees for them, it would be pure profit," said Sheth.

He continued:

"I think we'll be talking about how Chelsea are going to juggle these finances not only in January, but in the summer as well, because you have always got this cut-off point where they have to meet Financial Fair Play.

"So, I wouldn't be surprised if there is movement for Chelsea in January, but particularly movement of players going out."

Mauricio Pochettino's team are tenth in the league after 20 games, 17 points behind leaders Liverpool (45).