Chelsea unwilling to let 26-year-old star leave in January, blocking his move to rival PL club: Reports

Chelsea are unwilling to let defender Axel Disasi leave for Aston Villa in the January transfer window, as per L'Equipe (via Get Football News France). Although the report does not suggest the reasons why this move is being blocked by the Blues, the 26-year-old was reportedly very keen to move to the Birmingham-based club.

Aston Villa made the signing of Disasi as one of their priorities in this window, and the France international too was keen on the move. This was because he is currently only playing a bit-time role at Chelsea, and has not been given as much game time as he would have wanted by manager Enzo Maresca.

Centre-back Disasi has played just 365 minutes in the Premier League while making 17 appearances across all competitions. However, he has mostly been restricted to playing against lower-ranked teams in the UEFA Conference League and EFL Cup. In the Premier League, he has played just six matches for Chelsea.

Ever since they sold Diego Carlos to Fenerbahce in this window, Villa were in the market for a centre-back, and Disasi seemed perfect for them. However, Chelsea are blocking the move and not letting him leave.

Disasi's contract runs till 2029 with the Blues, which means that he could have commanded a hefty fee.

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Chelsea are rumored to be investing in attacking options

Chelsea, who are currently ranked sixth in the Premier League with 40 points, seem far away from their objective of challenging for the title. Despite the appointment of new manager Maresca at the start of the season, they have not been able to compete alongside the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal to be in the top four of the league table.

Disasi's move away from the club would have given them some money to expend on attacking resources in this window itself. While Nicolas Jackson has been at the forefront of their attacking chances, Chelsea were keen on signing Alejandro Garnacho from Manchester United in this window.

There were also reports of them approaching West Ham United for Jhon Duran, who was seen as a potential backup for Jackson and central attacking midfielder Cole Palmer. The latter has been Chelsea's primary goalscorer with 14 strikes across all competitions this season.

As per Caught Offside, Bayern Munich are keen on signing striker Christopher Nkunku from Chelsea. If this move materializes, they will be short of attacking options, and the profit from Disasi's sale could have given them the resources to enter the market and attack it with a frenzy.