Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues in 3-horse race for Juventus star; Atletico Madrid eager to sign Spanish full-back, and more - 22 January 2022

Chelsea will be desperate to arrest their recent slide when they face Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Blues are winless in their last four league games, and their title hopes are hanging by a thread. Currently in third place, Thomas Tuchel's men trail league leaders Manchester City, who have a game in hand, by 12 points,

Meanwhile, Chelsea are in a three-horse race with Bayern Munich and Barcelona for a Juventus centre-back. Elsewhere, Los Blancos have ended their pursuit of a Spanish full-back.

On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on 22nd January 2022

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Chelsea in three-horse race for Matthijs de Ligt

The Blues are in a three-horse race with Bayern Munich and Barcelona for De Ligt.

Chelsea are in a three-horse race with Bayern Munich and Barcelona for Matthijs de Ligt, according to Fichajes. All three clubs are looking to sign the Dutch defender, who could be allowed to leave Juventus this year.

De Ligt joined the Bianconeri with a lot of hype in 2019, but has failed to live up to expectations. He has made nearly 100 appearances for the Bianconeri - 23 this season, but has struggled to usurp Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini from the starting eleven. The 22-year-old is frustrated with the situation, and wants a fresh start this summer. The Blues are monitoring the situation with interest.

Chelsea are likely to target defensive reinforcements this year. The London side are sweating on the futures of Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen and Cesar Azpilicueta, who could all leave for free this summer. Manager Thomas Tuchel is looking at several players to address the situation, and De Ligt is on that shortlist.

However, prising the Dutchman away from Turin won't be a walk in the park. Despite his recent struggles, De Ligt's stock remains high, and he has also generated interest from Bayern Munich and Barcelona.

The Blaugrana have identified the Dutchman as Gerard Pique's long-term successor. The Bavarians, meanwhile, want De Ligt to replace Niklas Sule. Juventus want around €65 million for the 22-year-old, which could rule the La Liga side out of the race, though. Interestingly, the Bianconeri had bought De Ligt for €85 million three years ago.

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Atletico Madrid eager to sign Marcos Alonso

Atletico Madrid are eager to sign Marcos Alonso.

Atletico Madrid are eager to sign Marcos Alonso, according to Marca. The Spanish full-back is not a favourite of Tuchel at Chelsea. However, he has been thrust into action following the season-ending injury to Ben Chilwell. Los Rojiblancos were interested in Alonso in 2019, but failed to take him to the Wanda Metropolitano.

Atletico manager Diego Simeone still considers the Spaniard a dream signing, and is willing to move for him this summer. Alonso could drop down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge once Chilwell regains fitness, so could be willing to leave the Blues. The 31-year-old has made nearly 200 appearances across competitions for the club, including 27 this season.

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Lyon unwilling to sanction premature end of Emerson Palmieri's loan deal

Lyon are not ready to let Emerson Palmieri return to London this month.

Lyon are not ready to let Emerson Palmieri return to Chelsea this month, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The 27-year-old is currently on a season-long loan deal with the Ligue 1 side. The Blues want to cut short his loan, and bring him back to Stamford Bridge. Thomas Tuchel has turned to Emerson to solve the injury woes pegging his squad.

However, Lyon are not ready to let the player leave. The Blues are willing to pay a €4 million compensation to end Palmieri's loan. However, the French side want to keep him till the end of the season.