Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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There may be excitement about a potential deal for Napoli's Victor Osimhen, or another striker if that fails to materialise, but outgoings are also key for Chelsea.

Arsenal have been offered winger Raheem Sterling but he cannot leave until issues around a payout for losing some of his projected earnings while on over £300,000 a week are resolved.

If all bonuses are met, his side believe they are owed a staggering £70m, which would have to be made up, or a loss negotiated between him, the buying club and Chelsea.

There appears to be little interest in full-back Ben Chilwell at this stage, with a move to either Manchester United or Brentford unlikely.

There has been significant interest in defender Trevoh Chalobah, but his wages have put clubs off amid reported interest from Atalanta.

Reports in France suggest Chelsea will sell striker Deivid Washington for £17.7m to partner club Strasbourg, while Venezia are in talks to sign defender Zak Sturge from Chelsea's under-21s.

There is loan and permanent transfer interest in Carney Chukwuemeka, Angelo Gabriel, Harvey Vale, Alex Matos and Billy Gee - and Burton Albion hope to complete a season-long loan move for striker Ronnie Stutter.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea remain locked in talks to sign Victor Osimhen on deadline day but Al-Ahli are rivalling them for his signature.

The Saudi Pro League club have broadly agreed terms on a deal worth about £60m that will see the Nigeria international earn in the region of £25m a season with, crucially, a release clause included for an early return to Europe.

Effectively, the Public Investment Fund - which helps fund the four biggest clubs in Saudia Arabia - have done all they can to secure Osimhen.

However, a move to Chelsea is preferred as long as they meet the terms asked for by Osimhen, with wages potentially the biggest stumbling block given the new wage structure in west London.

Keep up with the latest on Osimhen and more on BBC Sport's deadline day live page

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Italian football expert James Horncastle says Chelsea target Victor Osimhen "is often injured" and has only "had one good season" at Napoli.

The Blues go into transfer deadline day still heavily linked with a move for the 25-year-old Nigeria striker with reports that a potential loan with obligation to buy deal, external may make the move easier to complete.

"If you want to be paid more money and you sign a contract in December which has a £130m buyout clause then the president of Napoli always stands by the price he sets," Horncastle told the Football Daily Euro Leagues podcast.

"That's a stumbling block. You've got the fact that Osimhen's agent put out that he still sees himself playing in Europe at a club that is bigger than Napoli, but those teams are baulking at the price tag.

"You've got Chelsea, who have already spent a lot of money - and Premier League clubs are preoccupied by PSR like never before. But you also have the fact Osimhen has had one good season for Napoli. Yes, it was the season they won the league for the first time since 1990 and he was the top scorer, but the reality is he is often injured.

"If you look at his stats, before that he scored 14 league goals and he has only been available for a third of the games. If you're not there to start between 30 and 38 games a season, and you've got Afcon in January quite often, it is something clubs look at.

"I think that was the big thing last season - can you back up what you did in the title winning season? He didn't and I think that is a real problem when it comes to clubs looking at him this year.

"There is a £130m release clause Napoli's owner wants to get close to but he's probably not worth half that. That's why clubs coming to Naples at this moment are the Saudi clubs."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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We asked what you have made of Chelsea's transfer window so far, and what needs to be done on deadline day.

Here are some of your comments:

Dan: Haven't we done enough? Another £200m spent and we still don't have a striker...

Eric: Loan Mudryk to Strasbourg as soon as possible and give Tyrique George a chance. It's really absurd to see Chelsea's unstable defence even after Silva's guidance. We need Tomas Araujo and perhaps a striker - Osimhen, to be precise.

Richard: It's really all about the top striker and Osimhen is the obvious choice, but only if wages are sensible. Otherwise, I'd like the club to stop buying and allow the squad to get to know each other properly. The whole 'bomb squad' situation is also messy - I wish Chilwell could be reintegrated back into the side.

Jacob: I think we still need a quality striker like Ivan Toney or Victor Osimhen and we need a quality defender too...

Nick: Boehly and Eghbali should just put their cheque book away. The club doesn't need any more players - there are enough goals in the team and spending on Osimhen or Toney would bring only a marginal gain, but at a big cost; not worth risking a PSR breach. By all means offload the surplus players but no more coming in, please.

Here's all you need to know about transfer deadline day on Friday...

When does the window close?

The transfer window will close at 23:00 BST on Friday, 30 August for the Premier League, English Football League and Scotland.

The date was brought forward by the domestic leagues to align with European leagues.

Across Europe, the Bundesliga window will close at 19:00, Ligue 1 at 22:00, La Liga at 22:59 and Serie A at 23:00, but the Saudi Pro League transfer window remains open until 7 September.

Can a Premier League player signed on deadline day play this weekend?

Under league rules, new signings are eligible for the next Premier League game if the club submit the required documents by midday on the last working day before that match.

So any player signed after 12:00 on deadline day would be unable to play in this round of Premier League fixtures.

Where can I see all the confirmed transfer deals on deadline day?

You can find all the deals completed on transfer deadline day within our dedicated confirmed transfers page.

When does the January transfer window open?

Clubs will be able to make transfers again from Wednesday, 1 January until Monday, 3 February at 23:00 GMT. This is the same in Germany, Italy, Spain and France.

How can I follow transfer deadline day on the BBC?

We have this live page dedicated to all the latest transfer news, reaction and analysis.

You will also find regular updates on BBC Radio 5 Live and breaking news across BBC Sport's social media channels, including X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

There will also be a special edition of The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer and the Red Button from 22:00 until 23:15.

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Chelsea have won their past 13 Premier League games against Crystal Palace. Only Manchester City (a current run of 14 against Bournemouth) have ever had a longer winning streak against an opponent in English Football League history.

Noni Madueke scored three goals for Chelsea in their 6-2 win at Wolves last time out. He is the 23rd different player to score a Premier League hat-trick for the club, giving the Blues more different hat-trick scorers than any other side in the competition.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli are optimistic of signing Napoli's Victor Osimhen, 25, dealing a blow to Chelsea's hopes of signing the Nigeria striker. (Talksport), external

Chelsea are edging closer to a deal for England winger Jadon Sancho, 24, but have informed Manchester United of two conditions needed for them to take him off their hands. (Teamtalk), external

The Blues have enquired about the availability of Benfica's 22-year-old Portuguese defender Tomas Araujo. (Mirror), external

Meanwhile, Arsenal are weighing up a move for Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling, having been approached about him in the final two days of the transfer window. (Independent), external

Chelsea are edging closer to a deal for England winger Jadon Sancho, 24, but have informed Manchester United of two conditions needed for them to take him off their hands. (Teamtalk), external

Chelsea have enquired about the availability of Benfica's 22-year-old Portuguese defender Tomas Araujo. (Mirror), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

We asked for your views after Chelsea lost 2-1 away to Servette on Thursday, but progressed to the league stage of the Uefa Conference League with a 3-2 win on aggregate.

Here are some of your comments:

Nakul: In frank honesty - very, very embarrassing. We are through to the Conference League group stages just about and we've lost to a team most people never would have heard of with all due respect. Embarrassing.

Ray: This performance underlines how much work there is still to do for Maresca. The lack of structure when we lose the ball is as bad as ever. We lack a defensive midfielder with authority. And the defensive line as a whole looks like a massive downgrade on players we sold or have sent to the 'bomb squad'. On the upside we look OK going forward. Mid-table finish at best.

Keith: Absolute garbage performance all round. Defensively awful, and no punch up front at all. Desperately need a quality goalkeeper and striker before the deadline!

Tom: We really deserved to win that game by some distance. A tenser finish than it should have been. Disasi is a disaster. Badiashile is bad. On what planet is Dewsbury-Hall an upgrade on Conor Gallagher?

Mathew: The performance was worrying tonight. Some mistakes here and there. It was great to see Tyrique George come on in the second half. It's just a shame that we lost due to our own errors and mistakes. It's great that we got through to the group stage, but there were some nervy moments. Hopefully our performance is better on Sunday afternoon.

Christopher: Rock bottom. An embarrassment. Instead of building the momentum after Sunday, this arrogant coach let a team of the equivalent of our third team embarrass us. His XI were full of second rate players who couldn't care less how they perform. This so called coach is the worst I have seen in over 50 years supporting Chelsea. Shameful.

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, speaking to club media after the match: "In the first half-an-hour we scored the goal and had three or four more chances.

"If we had been able to score again it would have been finished because we won 2-0 in the first leg.

"Then we conceded the goal and after that it’s normal to suffer a little bit. I was very worried about this game because these are tricky games.

"For them it could be their game of the season against us. The pitch was not great, the temperature was 30C. I was very worried about the condition of the game.

"This kind of game, at the end you have many things to lose and not many things to win.

"That is why I was so worried before the game but the way we started, the way we played in the first half-an-hour was unbelievable. On the ball we were very good. Then we conceded a goal and it became a bit more difficult."

On progressing to the next stage: "It's another competition and we're going to try to do our best.

"I think tonight once again, the way we started, the team showed the team was there. But in the game we conceded, they had some chances and we lost a little bit of confidence.

"This is one more competition. We have the Conference League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, and in all competitions we are going to try to do our best and then we will see where we are at."

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Reuters

Chelsea made hard work of it, but did enough to see off Servette and move into the league phase of the Europa Conference League.

After a 2-0 home win in the first leg, Christopher Nkunku's early penalty looked to have sealed the qualification play-off, only for the Swiss side to score twice to set up a nervy finish, with them missing a late chance that would have taken the tie to extra-time.

With Enzo Maresca only having one more day to trim his already bloated squad, with Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell among the players that could leave on Friday's transfer deadline day, qualification in Switzerland was important.

Not only have Chelsea, Champions League winners as recently as 2021, continued their European campaign, it also provides an extra six games for Maresca to rotate his squad and keep some of his fringe players happy.

The competition could also provide a valuable chance to give youngsters a chance, as Maresca did just after the hour mark in Geneva when he handed 18-year-old winger Tyrique George, a player who has represented England at under-18s level, his senior debut.

Chelsea are one of the favourites to win the Conference League and find out their six opponents in the revamped format on Friday from 13:30 BST.

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Tell us what you thought of Chelsea's performance, external

Come back to this page on Friday morning to find a selection of your replies

Follow reaction and read the match report

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Chelsea midfielder Tino Anjorin has signed for Serie A side Empoli.

The 22-year-old, who is a product of the academy, was mainly involved with the Under-21s but made one Premier League appearance for the Blues.

Anjorin spent last season on loan at Portsmouth.

The club said: "We would like to thank Tino for all his efforts while at the club and wish him well as he begins the next chapter in his career."

Interim head coach Lee Carsley has named his first England squad for September's Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

Newcastle defender Tino Livramento, Nottingham Forest's Morgan Gibbs-White, Lille's Angel Gomes and Chelsea's Noni Madueke are the four new caps named.

The transfer deadline is almost upon us, so tell us what you've made of your club's business and if more is needed?

Send your thoughts here, external

Ross Mooring
Fan writer

Chelsea’s sporting management are in for a busy couple of days, perhaps almost as busy as this summer's entire dealings so far.

Headlining all of the incomings is Napoli striker Victor Osimhen in a move that would create a fearsome frontline with all of the Blues' existing attacking talent behind him. To spread out the costs involved, it appears the move would be a loan with an obligation to buy next summer, although Al-Ahli are offering superior terms.

Should any deal for the Nigerian fall through, Chelsea are also looking at Brentford's Ivan Toney while Everton's Dominic Calvert-Lewin has also been mooted. The club evidently feels the collection of Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Marc Guiu up front are not enough to ensure contention for future Champions League football.

Napoli themselves are still finalising the transfer of Romelu Lukaku, a player who has long worn out his welcome at Stamford Bridge.

And this is not the only game of musical chairs given new manager Enzo Maresca's exclusion of Raheem Sterling. Sterling's reported £300,000 per week wages are a stumbling block and there are rumours of a swap deal with Manchester United for Jadon Sancho.

In defence, Trevoh Chalobah has been targeted by a number of clubs while Axel Disasi appears to be on Newcastle's radar if their move for Marc Guehi (another Chelsea youth product) falls through. Chelsea are even looking at Benfica's Tomas Araujo to provide cover if one or both those deals materialise.

Other players on the transfer list include Ben Chilwell, a player who has given his all for the club in his time here and one of the last two players remaining from the Blues' 2021 Champions League win (Reece James being the other) as well as Armando Broja and Carney Chukwuemeka. Chelsea's official homegrown contingent is officially dwindling.

It is no secret that Chelsea are in the market for an out-and-out striker after struggling to really replace the goalscoring prowess of former forwards Didier Drogba and Diego Costa.

But, that could be about to change.

According to reports, the Blues have opened talks with the agent of Napoli’s Victor Osimhen over a potential move, while it is understood Brentford’s Ivan Toney is also high up on their list of striker targets.

So who would you like to see the club sign, Chelsea fans?

Are you all in for Osimhen? Or is Toney your number one choice?

Perhaps you’re already happy with Enzo Maresca’s current choices in the squad.

Make your choice here

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Former Fulham and Chelsea winger Willian is open to another Premier League move as he insists he can play until he is 40.

The Brazil international, now 36, is a free agent after leaving Craven Cottage this summer when his contract expired.

When asked why he left Fulham and where he next sees his future, Willian told BBC Sport: “I decided to leave Fulham much before the end of the season in January or February. I had it in my mind that I would leave after speaking with my agent and family. It wasn't a decision made at the end of the season but a couple of months ago.

“I am looking at some options at the moment. I am thinking about possibilities in Europe, England, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the MLS - just not Brazil as an option for me.

"I am trying to see all the possibilities and think about making the right decision right now. I have some offers already and this is the key moment to decide my next challenge.”

As a free agent, Willian could move after the transfer deadline as long as there is space in squads to register him.

He has continued to stay in shape and believes he has “three or four years” left in him, adding: “I am feeling great physically and in two seasons at Fulham, I didn't have any problems at all, so I feel completely great.

“I am working in the gym to be in good shape but, of course, it is different from training every day and being ready inside a club. But I am doing all I can to be in good shape for my next club.

"I think my level physically and mentally is great. I think I can play for three or four years more - maybe until I am 40 years old! I feel motivated and at a high level."

He also praised Fulham and former manager Marco Silva for reviving his career after a tough spell at Corinthians.

"I only have good words to say about Fulham. It was an amazing two years and they treated me so well. I will always be thankful to them for opening the door to play in the Premier League again.

"The owners, people who work in the club, the guys and Marco Silva - he is a great coach and person."

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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The moment you allow yourself to feel a little smug, life quite rightly rips the rug from under you. In pre-season, I was one of very few pundits at the BBC to suggest Chelsea would finish in the top four.

‌For all the mayhem at Stamford Bridge, a creative line behind the striker of Cole Palmer, Joao Felix (fabulous player!) and either Pedro Neto or Noni Madueke is a stunningly exciting prospect.

‌I was on BBC Radio 5 Live when Enzo Maresca announced his team and my initial thoughts were: "That is a very sensible, grown-up team selection and system, even if they are a youngish lot."

‌It is only one game, but, listening to the no-nonsense coach, he sounds like a man determined to take control. He is not interested in what others think, be they fans, players, media and maybe most importantly the suits upstairs at the club.

‌It has cost billions, but the quality is arguably now there. We should all just let him get on with it, for a while.

They may well ship a lot of goals, but with that frontline, they could score even more.

Sign up to read more from Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter here

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have signed 12 players this summer with an average age of 21 despite criticism that they have 'too many players' and their squad is too young.

Even more ironically, the last signing is a goalkeeper in £17m Genk youngster Mike Penders, who will join in 2025, amid further ridicule that the club have so many potential options for the position.

However, for many inside the building at Stamford Bridge, this is a strategy that will pay off and the 6-2 win away at Wolves is potentially sign of progress for their approach.

They expect this young team - which has seen a further £276.6m of talent added this summer to well over £1bn spent in the previous four transfer windows under this Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership - to start competing for titles very soon.

There is a feeling that manager Enzo Maresca is a better fit for this club than Mauricio Pochettino was and that players like Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Noni Madueke will naturally improve as they mature together.

It's also worth noting that nearly £140m has been raised in player sales this summer to help balance the books with further outgoings to come.