Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues interested in Leicester City defender; Christian Pulisic eager to join Barcelona, and more - 3 January 2022

Chelsea played out an entertaining 2-2 draw in the Premier League with Liverpool on Sunday. The Blues were 0-2 down after 26 minutes, but Thomas Tuchel's men fought back to restore parity before half-time.

With no goals from either team in the second half, Chelsea remain second in the standings, a point ahead of Liverpool, who have a game in hand. However, the Blues are now a whopping ten points behind runaway league leaders Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are interested in a Leicester City defender. Elsewhere, Christian Pulisic is ready to leave the Blues and join Barcelona. On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on 3rd January 2022.

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Chelsea interested in Ryan Bertrand

Chelsea are interested in Leicester City defender Ryan Bertrand.

Chelsea are interested in Leicester City defender Ryan Bertrand, according to Fichajes. The Blues are desperate to sign a new left-back this month, and the Englishman has popped up in their radar.

Bertrand rose through the ranks at Chelsea, but failed to cement a place in their starting eleven. He joined Southampton in 2015 after a successful loan spell. The Englishman moved to the King Power Stadium on a free transfer last summer, but has struggled for game time.

The Blues are monitoring Bertrand's situation with interest. Chelsea are set to be without Ben Chilwell for the rest of the season. The Englishman is out with an injury, and will not take the field again this season. That has left the Blues a touch light in the left-back area, which is why manager Thomas Tuchel wants to reinforce the position this month.

Chelsea have already identified the likes of Lucas Digne and Theo Hernandez as primary options. Bertrand, as such, is a fallback choice for the Blues if they fail to land their preferred targets.

The 32-year-old has a wealth of experience that could benefit the London side. However, it remains to be seen whether the former academy player returns to Chelsea this month.

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Christian Pulisic prefers move to Barcelona

Christian Pulisic prefers a move to Barcelona if he is asked to leave Chelsea.

Christian Pulisic prefers a move to Barcelona if he is asked to leave Chelsea, according to El Nacional.

The American has struggled to make a mark since joining the Blues in 2019. He has dropped further down the pecking order under Thomas Tuchel, so the London side are planning to offload him this month. Interestingly, Pulisic's scored Chelsea's equaliser in their thrilling 2-2 Premier League draw with Liverpool last weekend.

Barcelona are interested in the 23-year-old, and are planning to take him to the Camp Nou. Pulisic also prefers to join the Blaugrana. Chelsea are willing to offload the American, but want €65 million for his services. That is above Barcelona's budget, so the Blaugrana could propose a loan deal with an option to buy.

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Graeme Souness slams Romelu Lukaku for controversial comments

Souness has slammed Lukaku (in pic) for his comments on Chelsea and Tuchel.

Graeme Souness has slammed Romelu Lukaku for his recent comments on Chelsea and manager Thomas Tuchel. The Belgian was critical of the German manager's tactics in a recent interview.

Speaking to Sky Sports, as relayed by Liverpool Echo, Souness said Lukaku showed a lack of respect for the Blues.

“I can’t tell you a worse thing that a player can do at this moment in the season. To come out and say basically: I don’t want to be here; I don’t want to play with players I’m playing with anymore and the manager. And how that damages Chelsea going forward, it has to," said Souness.

"It’s totally disrespectful. It damaged the football club enormously. It damages the manager. It damages the manager. The first thing I would have done is pull the person and say you have to apologise. You need to stand in front of everyone in the dressing room and apologise unreservedly”, continued Souness.

Unsurprisingly, Romelu Lukaku was omitted by Thomas Tuchel from Chelsea's matchday squad against Liverpool, following his controversial comments.