Chelsea

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's new midfielder Dario Essugo knows what is in store for him at Stamford Bridge.

The 20-year-old signed for £18.5million from Sporting in March but was officially unveiled as a Blues player last week.

In discussion with the club's media channels, he highlighted how he is a similar style of "aggressive" defensive midfield player to Moises Caicedo and also picked the reigning winner of both of Chelsea's player of the season awards, as the person is he most looking forward to playing alongside.

However, he also recognise that he will mostly be lining up with the Ecaudorian in training rather than in matches and will operate as his understudy.

Essugo, a Portugal Under-21s international, could not be more similar to Caicedo in terms of style, operating as a mobile and powerful ball-winning option in midfield.

After all, Chelsea ran the risk of breaking Caicedo last season when he started all 38 Premier League matches. He also started six further cup matches, although that was helped by Chelsea's heavy rotation in most Conference League games, and early exits from both domestic cups. Caicedo was also only substituted in four league matches.

No-one played more minutes than the 3,815 played by Caicedo at Chelsea last season and, with Champions League qualification secured for next season, he needs a reliable deputy.

Who is Essugo?

In the midfielder's own words, he is also a "chill" character away from the pitch. He grew up in the Odivelas suburb of Lisbon, was a multi-sport athlete in his youth but took to football in the school playground.

He first suffered a rejection from his mother's handball club at CAC da Pontinha Club but soon impressed UD Santa Maria Club, before ultimately ending up in Sporting's academy.

Essugo achieved his goal of emulating his idol William Carvalho, now at Betis, by lining up for Sporting in midfield, aged just 16 and six days old.

After becoming the youngest player to play for Sporting, he became the youngest Portuguese player to play in the Champions League, playing in a competition that other idols, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, N'Golo Kante and Toni Kroos, all excelled in.

Those idols showed Essugo looked towards La Liga and, after a loan spell at Portuguese second division Chaves, he played in Spain's top flight last season with Las Palmas.

Although relegated, Essugo played well enough to attract Chelsea and said of the spell at the island nation on his Instagram account: "It's been a season of personal growth, with highs and lows, but at all times I tried to leave it all on the field."

But his post when leaving Sporting was more emotional, despite only making 25 appearances in the first team, he wrote: "I believe I left something worth keeping - a piece of my childhood, my youth, my soul."

Essugo targets "playing as much as he can" despite being Caicedo's understudy in a competitive midfield space, featuring Enzo Fernandez, Romeo Lavia, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - and returning loanee Andrey Santos.

He said: "I want to win as much as possible, as many titles as possible. Obviously, I want to win the Champions League, but also the Premier League because it's very difficult. I want to win titles, play as much as possible at Chelsea and be part of the club's history."

The first time we will see Essugo is at the Club World Cup and he could make his debut for Chelsea against LAFC on Monday evening. Longer term, he will relieve the pressure on Caciedo as Chelsea embark of their return to the demanding Champions League after three seasons away.

Ross Mooring
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

We are stepping into a bit of the unknown. Supporters, players and management would usually expect to be on the beach this month instead of focusing on a full-blown club tournament.

Combine concerns over player fitness with the feeling the Club World Cup does not rank as highly as Fifa might wish - at least not yet - and one might not be surprised fans are not as excited as they are when in the hunt for traditional trophies.

That is certainly not the case in the United States, however, where Chelsea have a huge, fanatical fanbase spread across dozens of supporters' clubs, all of whom are preparing for the Blues' first competitive fixtures on the continent.

Should Chelsea progress to the latter stages, supporters everywhere else are sure to catch up. A trophy is a trophy after all - and as former winners, there is pride to play for.

A large squad will certainly help and it will be interesting to see how strongly Enzo Maresca goes with his selections, a la his approach to the Conference League.

In terms of chances of success, failing to negotiate final fees for Jamie Gittens and especially Mike Maignan to join in time has not helped.

However, the arrival of Liam Delap does and this will take some pressure off Nicolas Jackson. Midfielder Andrey Santos, who was a revelation on loan at Strasbourg, feels like a new signing too and could see Maresca test his depth in the position early.

Chelsea will be relieved their first game will be taking place indoors in Atlanta, but their other two group games will be in the Philadelphia heat, including against Brazilian side Flamengo. The pace of that game may provide an indication of how hard Maresca wishes to push his players.

Winning the tournament would be a huge boon - obviously from a prestige perspective, but also with close to £100m up for grabs in prize money.

With Uefa still to rule on Chelsea's related party transactions over the sales of the women's team and Stamford Bridge hotels, there is a chance for it to be a very memorable summer in the club's history.

How things play out after the dust has settled in the USA is another matter.

Find more from Ross Mooring at Chelsea Fancast, external

Image source, Opta

Chelsea are huge favourites to progress from Group D of Fifa's inaugural expanded Club World Cup this summer.

Enzo Maresca's side face Major League Soccer's LAFC in their opener on Monday, Brazilian side Flamengo and finally Tunisian club ES Tunis.

According to Opta's supercomputer, Chelsea have been given a 76.7% chance of topping Group D and a 16.8% chance of finishing as runner-up - a 93.5% total likelihood or progressing to the last 16.

Only Inter Milan, with 79% in Group E, have been given a higher likelihood of topping their group.

At the time of writing, according to Opta's power ranking, external, Flamengo are ranked 78th in the world, while LAFC are ranked 126th and Tunis ranked 255th.

Image source, Opta

From a financial perspective, each group-stage win will net Chelsea £1.5m, with £5.8m for reaching the last 16, £10.2m for reaching the quarter-finals, £16.3m for progressing to the semi-finals, and £31m for winning the final.

The maximum prize available is about £97m for winning all three group-stage matches and then going on to win the tournament - the biggest amount ever awarded in club football over a seven-game format.

Chelsea are judged by the Opta supercomputer to have an 8.4% chance of winning the Club World Cup, with five teams above them in terms of likelihood - Paris St-Germain, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Madrid.

Image source, Getty Images

Spanish football journalist Eduardo Alvarez says European teams could be subjected to a "huge upset" at the Club World Cup if they are not ready for "very enthusiastic opponents".

The newly expanded tournament starts on Saturday with Manchester City and Chelsea taking first-team squads to the United States without a break after long domestic and European campaigns.

High temperatures are also expected at many of the games, especially those played in the middle of the day for broadcast during the evening in Europe.

"They are going to need to pause for hydration," Alvarez told the BBC's World Football podcast. "The combination of the heat and the fact that this is the off-season for the European teams will have an impact.

"I tend to think that the teams who are not 100% with their head and their heart on the tournament will be eliminated pretty quickly and those who stay will be extremely motivated to win this for the first time.

"In the following rounds we will see more entertaining match-ups and this will be interesting in the end.

"For the top European clubs, obviously they have been compensated with money - but in terms of the calendar this is not ideal. They are playing probably 60 or 70 matches and this is another six or seven that are not very welcome.

"But, all the other clubs - the chance to play Bayern Munich or Real Madrid you probably only get once in a while. To them, if there's another two or three more matches - who cares?

"Some of them will bring us a huge upset. That's part of the fun of the football. It's the off-season for the European teams, some of them will be caught sleeping by a very enthusiastic opponent who say: 'This is the game of our lives, we need to play like there's no tomorrow.'

"These teams will either end up causing trouble to, or actually beating, a big household name."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Former Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele says Enzo Maresca needs to be left alone to work but needs several signings - including goalkeeper Mike Maignan - to emulate Paris St-Germain's success with a young squad.

The Blues ended last season with the youngest average age among their starting XI of any team in Premier League history but qualified for the Champions League with a win at Nottingham Forest on the final day.

They also won the Conference League with a 4-1 win over Real Betis just three days later and now embark on a campaign in the newly expanded Club World Cup, which begins this weekend.

When asked about his view of Chelsea, having left the club under the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership, Makelele, a former player and coach at Stamford Bridge, said: "I think Chelsea are doing well. They are starting at the beginning [of their project], very slowly.

"In the beginning, they changed a lot of players and managers. The new manager [Enzo Maresca] made sure Chelsea finished the season in a good way. They qualified for the Champions League and won a trophy. I think this new Chelsea can be successful now.

"We need to wait for Chelsea to win the Premier League again, and they are starting to build a strategy and some stability. But, for me, the most important thing is they need to leave Maresca working in a good way, like Paris St-Germain did with Luis Enrique.

"They need stability if they are to fight for a title. I am a Chelsea fan, and I was worried when I saw Chelsea struggling in the beginning [under new owners Clearlake-Boehly], but now they are on a positive path and can return to the Chelsea of the past, which was at a high level."

The former defensive midfielder saw 'the Makelele role' named after him while playing under Jose Mourinho in west London. He joked that should now be known as "the Caicedo role".

Makelele also praised the signing from Ipswich of striker Liam Delap, who will make his debut in the United States, adding: "The project is starting to come good. The future is bright. It takes a lot of young talent to try to make Chelsea successful.

"I like Nicolas Jackson. We can't criticise him. But of course, Chelsea need some better players if they are to win the Premier League, and they are also back in the Champions League.

"They needed a second striker [in Delap]. He is compatible with Jackson and adds competition. Jackson can't do it all alone. I appreciate him. He fought all season.

"He did a good job, scored a lot of goals, and got some assists, but of course another striker is welcome."

Makelele hopes the Blues will add a goalkeeper, after seeing France number one Mike Maignan strongly linked to a move to Chelsea.

He added: "Maignan is one of the best in the world right now and I think Milan won't want their best goalkeeper gone.

"But if Chelsea can take him, it's better, because to win trophies you need a good goalkeeper. You look at PSG and they had a young squad but a great goalkeeper in Gianluigi Donnarumma.

"Chelsea need a goalkeeper, striker and maybe winger to fight for the Champions League and Premier League next season."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud feels Stamford Bridge new boy Liam Delap should relish the attention that comes with the club's number nine shirt.

Delap has taken the nine even though it has a chequered past in the Premier League era, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Romelu Lukaku, Gonzalo Higuain, Fernando Torres and Radamel Falcao among the recent big names who have failed to impress.

Giroud revealed then technical director Paolo Maldini questioned his decision to take the number nine shirt at AC Milan, declaring it to be "cursed" because of the star signings, including Higuain and Torres, who had struggled wearing it.

The 38-year-old dismisses the notion a number can have a negative impact.

Ahead of his appearance for Major League Soccer outfit LAFC against Chelsea in the Club World Cup on Monday, Giroud feels £30m signing Delap needs to embrace the pressure.

"When I signed for AC Milan, Paolo Maldini asked me: 'Are you sure about the number nine because it's kind of cursed,'" said Giroud.

"I said it's not the number I have on my back which will make me good and score goals. I showed him there was no curse because I did well.

"Striker is the best position in football - but it is very demanding. You can be under the spotlight when things go really well, but you are the first on the frontline when you are not scoring goals.

"You have to show some character and strength mentality-wise. You need to be strong in your head and even in tough moments, stay confident and keep working hard.

"There are ups and downs and you need to be ready for that. If he's got a good mentality, and I think he's very talented, he'll be fine."

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Olivier Giroud has praised former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger for letting him join Chelsea in 2018.

Giroud spent six years at Arsenal, scoring 105 goals in 253 games, but quit in search of regular football in a move that allowed the Gunners to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

While moving was not a shock, his destination was given the Gunners' long-standing rivalry with Chelsea.

The move worked out better for Giroud than Arsenal, given Aubameyang failed to reach the heights expected and eventually had his contract cancelled. Giroud, meanwhile, won the FA Cup, Europa League and Champions League with the Blues.

As he looks ahead to Monday's Club World Cup encounter between his current club, Major League Soccer outfit LAFC and Chelsea in Atlanta on Monday, Giroud expressed his gratitude to Wenger for making the deal happen.

"I'm really thankful one more time to Arsene, if he hears me, to let me go where I wanted to go," said Giroud.

"I had an amazing time at Chelsea and played with amazing players. With Eden [Hazard], Willian and Pedro around me, it was so easy.

"I knew signing for Chelsea back then was an improvement. They were one of the best teams in the league, winning the most trophies with [Manchester] City.

"It surprised a lot of people but I had to leave and it went really well for me."

The inaugural expanded Fifa Club World Cup gets under way on Sunday, with Chelsea's tournament starting on Monday, 16 June against Los Angeles FC (20:00 BST).

The Blues' 28-man squad was confirmed on Tuesday and they are now preparing to travel out to the United States.

There is still some uncertainty and confusion surrounding the competition and how exactly Chelsea will approach it given it is the first iteration in this format.

BBC Sport football news reporter Nizaar Kinsella will be in the US following Enzo Maresca's side, so we're giving you the chance to put your Club World Cup-related questions to him.

They could be about the Blues' aims for the tournament, squad decisions, new signings, opponents, fan excitement, his own expectations... whatever's on your mind.

Get in touch with your questions here

And stay across this page on Monday for Nizaar's answers to a selection of the best

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea are open to the fact that they need to sell a host of players, especially those that spent last season on loan.

The club's policy is not to carry a large group of loanees that are not expected or likely to make it into the first team.

In their 28-man Club World Cup selection, only one loanee progressed into Enzo Maresca squad from last season, midfielder Andrey Santos.

The rest, Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Djordje Petrovic, Armando Broja, Joao Felix, Renato Veiga, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu and more - are mostly available for sale. The asking price for Kepa is known to be only £5m as he enters the last year of his contract, while Benfica are being credited with serious interest to re-sign Felix.

In Sterling's case, the winger made 12 starts on loan at North London club Arsenal last season while the Blues paid around half of his current £300,000-a-week wages.

EFL loanees like Alfie Gilchrist, Alex Matos, Leo Castledine and Zak Sturge are also exploring permanent transfers away from Stamford Bridge.

Defender Sturge, 20, is in advanced talks about making his loan move at Millwall permanent at the end of the season.

Chelsea prefer sales rather than loan moves at this stage but could relax their position later in the transfer window if they struggle to find exits for players.

Midfielders Kendry Paez and Mathis Amougou are expected to join Strasbourg on loan while goalkeeper Teddy Sharman-Lowe is in talks over a new contract and potentially joining League One club Bolton Wanderers on loan.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your views on Chelsea's squad for the Club World Cup, and your general feelings about the tournament.

Here are some of your comments:

Chris: Not one decent goalkeeper, yet Maresca is happy to 'give away' Kepa! I'm not surprised the Gooners are champing at the bit to sign him. He was better at Bournemouth last season than any of the keepers he's included in this squad! Badiashile, who he's quite happy to move on too, is included, as is Nkunku, who hates playing for us! Can't wait to see Delap, who I think could score a lot of goals for us!

Adam: I have been attending Chelsea matches since 1987 and find the concept of this tournament very interesting. Mixed messages from the club though... a great money earner but too tiring for players? Being forced to expand the squad to cater for such games will surely eradicate any financial benefits? I am sad for the fans who have been fleeced for tickets yet again. Let's see how the experiment goes.

Nick: Veiga and Felix are the two I would like to have seen in the squad. Felix in particular is a luxury player but has so much quality. I would love to try Felix and Palmer behind Delap. It remains to be seen if there is any way back for Nkunku. Excited to see how Santos gets on.

Mark: On one hand I'm excited to go up against some of the elite European teams as that should put us in better stead for the Champions League. But this tournament is at the wrong time of the season. Players need a break and we'll suffer for it before the end of the season I expect.

Joe: Not that excited about the Club World Cup, to be honest. It'll be good for Maresca to see how new players get on and try new systems, but essentially I see this as a glorified pre-season tournament. Give the players some time off and get them ready for a huge season.

Dan: Hearing Petrovic wanted to be left out is a slight blow, as is the failings of whoever to get Maignan. If we really want to push on this season we cannot have Sanchez in goal again, even if he was relatively solid in the run-in.

Image source, Chelsea club website

Chelsea have unveiled their away kit for the 2025-26 season.

"In the early 1970s and fresh from securing our first FA Cup and European trophy, Blues manager Dave Sexton, himself an artist when it came to the tactical game, introduced a Chelsea away strip coloured as a tribute to Hungary's famous 'Magnificent Magyars' side from two decades earlier, whose extravagant patterns on the pitch had so influenced his own winning football," the club said.

"Soon, the simple plain red, white and green of that kit evolved into a white shirt with a broad red and green vertical stripe, whose theme is now reimagined in a subtle form 50 years on."

The club also confirmed that the shirt will be worn in Club World cup matches against Flamengo and ES Tunis and later this month.

Tell us your thoughts on the kit here

Chelsea have put Serbia goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic up for sale, with Leeds among the clubs interested in signing the 25-year-old. (Teamtalk), external

Petrovic asked to be left out of Chelsea's Club World Cup squad so he can focus on securing a move. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

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

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The main headlines from Chelsea's 28-man Club World Cup squad are that it includes the usual star names like Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo, while Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are among those omitted.

However, this is a squad picked both to win the competition and for pragmatic reasons by manager Enzo Maresca.

Other exciting selections are new signings Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Mike Penders and Mamadou Sarr.

Maresca opted against taking the maximum 35 players to ensure a happier group, while only midfielder Andrey Santos has managed to make it back into the main squad after a loan spell away.

The rest of the loanees, including Sterling, Chilwell, Axel Disasi, Djordje Petrovic and Joao Felix, will be allowed to stay on holiday. They are then likely to return to Cobham for training.

All those listed in the above paragraph are available for sale. Goalkeeper Petrovic rated at Stamford Bridge but all parties agree a move away from the club is the best option for his continued development, despite a productive loan at partner club Strasbourg.

The Serbia international does have an image rights issue that could impact a permanent transfer, so loan options are also being explored.

Among those not selected are Juventus loanee Renato Veiga. A source close to the player says the defender had expected to return to Chelsea to play in the competition after winning the Nations League with Portugal.

The source added that Juve had wanted to at least extend Veiga's loan for the duration of the Club World Cup, but an expectation the Blues would not release him for the newly expanded tournament in the United States made him less attractive to sign.

Midfielders Mathis Amougou and Kendry Paez have also not been selected due to expected loan moves to Strasbourg.

Sources close to Paez, who has only just joined the club for £17.2m from Independiente del Valle, have also expressed their surprise at his omission.

Veiga and Paez appear to be two isolated incidents, with the majority of those not picked having expected not to take part.

Meanwhile, the likes of Trevoh Chalobah, Christopher Nkunku, Gabriel Slonina and Aaron Anselmino could all still leave the club, despite being selected to travel.

Interestingly, Borussia Dortmund included winger Jamie Gittens in their squad hours after Chelsea bid over £42m to sign him, which means he is cup-tied even if the Blues return to seal his signature after a newly introduced mini-transfer window for the tournament closed on Tuesday.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Millwall are in advanced talks to keep Chelsea defender Zak Sturge at the club on a permanent basis.

The 20-year-old made a loan move to the Lions in February, with the deal running until the end of the season.

He made just five league appearances, though the Championship side are keen to sign him.

Sturge's Chelsea contract runs until the summer of 2026.

Arriving at Stamford Bridge from Brighton in 2023, Sturge has also spent time on loan at Peterborough.

Image source, Getty Images

With Chelsea's squad for the Club World Cup now confirmed, and their campaign kicking off on Monday against Los Angeles FC, we want your views.

The Blues will also face Flamengo and ES Tunis in the group stage of the tournament in the United States.

So, how excited are you about the competition and how confident are you Chelsea can go far? And are you happy with the state of Enzo Maresca's squad going into the tournament after the mini-transfer window?

Get in touch with your thoughts here

READ MORE: Which European teams are in the Club World Cup

Enzo Maresca has named a strong squad for the upcoming Club World Cup, despite leaving a number of senior players out.

Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, Axel Disasi and Ben Chilwell have not been included - a quartet that cost about £179m in transfer fees and all ended last season out on loan.

However, star players like Cole Palmer, club captain Reece James and the £200m midfield pairing of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo are all included.

Also travelling are new signings Liam Delap, Mamadou Sarr, Dario Essugo and young goalkeeper Mike Penders.

Chelsea's first match in the competition is at 20:00 BST on 16 June against Los Angeles FC.

Image source, Getty Images

Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl has said the club "looked very seriously" at an offer from Chelsea for winger Jamie Gittens.

The Blues had a bid worth just over £42m rejected on Tuesday for the 20-year-old, who was then included in the Bundesliga side's squad for the Club World Cup, meaning he would now be unable to play Chelsea in the competition.

"There was contact with Chelsea FC, who got in touch again yesterday afternoon, Kehl said on Wednesday. "We spoke again on the phone and exchanged expectations and different ideas.

"In the end, we didn't come to an agreement because we have different ideas about the player's current value. But the talks were very, very respectful. We have been in very good dialogue with Chelsea for many years.

"We are happy Jamie will now be part of our team at the Club World Cup and are delighted he is staying.

"I'm not responsible for the late offer- but, of course, I still have to deal with it and that's what we've done.

"We looked into it very seriously, but in the end we also made a decision for ourselves.

"It's still absolutely OK that Chelsea made this attempt. And, once again, we are in good dialogue. Let's see how things develop in the future."

Manchester United hold bragging rights as the most popular Premier League club across social platforms, according to CIES Football Observatory., external

Ranking third overall behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, Manchester United total 233.6 million subscribers and followers across X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube.

Rivals Manchester City are second highest out of Premier League clubs and fifth overall with 179.5m, with Liverpool (166.7m) and Chelsea (152.9m) just behind.

Arsenal also make the global top 10 with 114.1m, meaning there are five English teams inside the top 10.

Spurs just miss out in 11th with 108.1m, but they did gain an extra 700,000 followers over their North London rivals since June 2024.

A total of 15 English clubs make the top 100, with Leeds United squeezing into the 100th spot with 6.4m.

While fans may not sing about social media followers, global interest has a hand in paying the bills at their beloved football clubs.

Image source, Getty Images

In the defeat to Senegal, Trevoh Chalobah became the eighth different Chelsea player to make his England debut since the start of 2019 (after Hudson-Odoi, Mount, Tomori, James, Colwill, Palmer & Madueke); the most for any club in this period.

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

The transfer window has closed temporarily and, despite approaches from Chelsea in recent days, the Blues did not complete any more signings on deadline day.

It is expected Chelsea will revisit the Jamie Gittens signing in the coming weeks after having an offer worth more than £42m rejected by Borussia Dortmund.

There is less certainty around the Mike Maignan situation, with the club potentially not returning to it until January, when the AC Milan goalkeeper can agree a pre-contract as a free transfer.

Defender Renato Veiga also remains at Stamford Bridge despite interest from Juventus to either extend or make his successful loan move a permanent one.

He will not play at the Club World Cup with the Serie A side and is ready to play for the Blues at the tournament in the United States, which gets under way for Enzo Maresca's side on 16 June.

The club are set to reveal their travelling squad for the competition on Wednesday.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea have had an offer worth just over £42m rejected by Borussia Dortmund for English winger Jamie Gittens.

The 20-year-old already has a seven-year contract on the table and is thought to be keen on a move to Stamford Bridge.

But the two clubs are struggling to meet in the middle on their valuation, despite the England Under-21 international not fitting into the system of manager Niko Kovac, who joined the German club in February.

The latest rejection casts doubt over whether Gittens will join Chelsea in time to take part in the Club World Cup, with a first transfer deadline for the competition at 19:00 BST on Tuesday.

Chelsea have not ruled out further approaches for Gittens after the deadline, but also have interest in Manchester United's Alejandro Garnacho and Mohammed Kudus of West Ham.

Image source, Getty Images

New Chelsea defender Mamadou Sarr is targeting domestic and European glory after a "dream" move to the club.

The 19-year-old's £12m transfer from partner club Strasbourg was confirmed on Monday after an eight-year deal had been agreed in January.

Sarr made 28 appearances for the French side in 2024-25, helping them to finish seventh in Ligue 1 and book a spot in the Conference League play-offs.

"It's simple. The dream is to win the Premier League and the Champions League with Chelsea," he told club media.

"I feel really good. It's like a dream for me. Since I was young I dreamed of playing for a club like this. Chelsea are one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am very happy.

"For me, Chelsea is the best club in London, one of the best clubs in England. Chelsea have a good project in place for young players. The supporters, the club, it's history and the stadium are all fantastic. It's an iconic club with a full history."

Sarr will be linking up with some familiar names, having played alongside Andrey Santos and Djordje Petrovic during the past campaign, and having come through the youth ranks at Lyon with Malo Gusto.