Chelsea retain an interest in England midfielder Morgan Rogers, 22, should Aston Villa be open to a sale. (Mail+ - subscription required), external
The Blues have also made initial contact with Brighton over Brazil striker Joao Pedro, 23, who is wanted by Newcastle. (Fabrizio Romano), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column
Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesNew Chelsea defender Mamadou Sarr believes he is ready for the big stage at Stamford Bridge and reckons his new squad can be young winners - like Champions League-winning Paris St-Germain.
joined in an £11.9 million deal from Strasbourg – a club also owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital – becoming the first player to move towards Chelsea from France since the BlueCo era at both clubs.
But Sarr dismisses that being part of Strasbourg was just a way to get into Chelsea.
"I joined Strasbourg to play for Strasbourg, then Chelsea came to me," Sarr said at the Club World Cup in the United States. "I knew of some interest approximately in November, December. Then in January I had an idea that it was possible [to move]. When one of the biggest clubs come to you, it is so exciting."
Sarr was an unused substitute in the 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC that began Chelsea's campaign in the newly expanded competition.
The Blues are not only competing on the world stage but have also qualified for next season's Champions League.
But where does Sarr fit in?
"I have to progress, to work hard to get minutes," he said. "These are the best players in the world. I need to work hard."
Sarr may be content to initially be a squad player but has high hopes for himself having helped Strasbourg qualify for the Conference League, despite them being the youngest team in Europe's top five leagues.
His former manager Liam Rosenior told the Athletic that Sarr "has everything to become world class", joking in another interview that he is such a fan of Sarr that he could be his father.
Sarr has stated he wants to be the best defender in the world, looking up to Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk, but conceding his style is more similar to the Reds' defensive partner Ibrahima Konate.
He also believes that Rosenior has a similar style of play that will help his adaptation, a deliberate ploy by the ownership to help players move between clubs. For instance, midfielder Andrey Santos also back at Stamford Bridge after a successful 18-month loan spell in Ligue 1.
Chelsea face Brazil giants Flamengo in their next Club World Cup game and could play PSG in the quarter-finals, a club Sarr knows well.
"There are a lot of similarities (between Chelsea and PSG)," Sarr continued. "I played them twice last year. They are a very good team. Chelsea is a very good team. We can compete with them and beat them.
He added: "Every club wants to show that they are the best team in the world. Chelsea want to be the best team in the world so we want to win."
Image source, Getty ImagesThe 2025-26 Premier League fixtures are official - so we asked how you think the schedule has fallen and where Chelsea will be after the first 10 games.
Here are some of your replies:
Conrad: Well nice. Four London derbies to start with. Hopefully that should be three wins and a draw minimum, as long as Nicolas Jackson or Christopher Nkunku aren't up front. I think Cole Palmer will be back to the goalscoring machine of seasons before and Chelsea will finish in the top three.
Steve: I would like to think top four after 10 games. It is going to be a busy season with the Champions League, the Premier League and other cup competitions. Exciting times ahead, hopefully.
Henry: The team is still very inexperienced, but as long as we don't sign any more youngsters I think top four is a guarantee.
Ahmed: I wish Chelsea a good season. I am optimistic they will be top two at the end of the season, despite the youthfulness of the team.
Opta has ranked the difficulty of each top-flight team's first five Premier League fixtures of the 2025-26 season.
According to Opta's model, Manchester United have the hardest start, followed by their opening-weekend opponents Arsenal and then Bournemouth.
Aston Villa's first five games have been ranked the easiest, alongside Crystal Palace.
Take a look below to see where your side places...
Image source, Getty ImagesFans have been warned by the Premier League that fixtures could be moved at "relatively short notice" next season because of the number of teams playing in Europe.
A record nine top-flight clubs have qualified for continental competition in the 2025-26 campaign.
The Premier League said there is an "increased likelihood" that games will be re-scheduled if English teams reach the latter stages and it suggested fans take this into consideration when planning their attendance at games.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham will be playing in the Champions League next season.
Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have qualified for the Europa League, while Nottingham Forest will be playing in the Conference League.
"While the Premier League celebrates this success, it will come with an impact on the scheduling of league matches," a statement from the Premier League said.
"There is an increased likelihood of Premier League fixtures moving at relatively short notice, after our fixture announcements, should our clubs progress to the knockout rounds of these competitions."
Aside from the opening weekend's game with Crystal Palace and the final fixture of the season at Sunderland, all dates are subject to change as a result of broadcast and other requirements.
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter beating champions Liverpool last month, Chelsea will look to repeat the feat when they host Arne Slot's men at the start of May. Enzo Maresca's Blues make the trip to Anfield on weekend of 9-10 May.
In terms of other potential title rivals, first up for Chelsea is a home game against Arsenal on weekend of 29-30 November, while they will travel to Emirates Stadium at the end of February.
They must wait till the first game of January for a trip to Manchester City before hosting Pep Guardiola's side on weekend of 11-12 April.
As for west London derbies, Chelsea host Fulham in their second home game of the season with the trip to Craven Cottage set for weekend of 7-8 January.
Meanwhile, the fixtures against Brentford - still searching for a manager after Thomas Frank's departure to Tottenham - are after the international break in September and the first home game of 2026.
Speaking of Spurs, the Blues travel to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on weekend of 1-2 November, before entertaining their rivals for the final home game of 2025-26 in May.
And what about the schedule over Christmas and New Year? Well, Chelsea's four festive fixtures include home matches against Bournemouth and Aston Villa and trips north, adding a visit to Newcastle to their trip to Manchester City.
Finally, Maresca's men close their campaign by travelling to Sunderland on Sunday, 24 May 2026 - when all 10 matches will kick off at 16:00 BST.
Looking at the fixture list, where do you think Chelsea will be after 10 games? Have your say here
Chelsea will host Crystal Palace in their opening game of the 2025-26 Premier League season.
The match will take place on Sunday, 17 August at 14:00 BST, with the Blues' first away fixture against West Ham United on the weekend of 23-24 August.
See Chelsea's Premier League fixtures in full here
All times BST
Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter
Image source, Getty ImagesIf you are working on the Club World Cup - this reborn competition - as a journalist or influencer, you have to sound hyper excited, but I feel browbeaten into showing some love for Infantino's 'beautiful' baby, otherwise I am portrayed as an unfeeling Grinch.
I will give it a chance before I decide, while doing my very best to ignore all the tiresome fake razzamatazz surrounding the games. It is clearly a bunch of steps too far for exhausted players but if the tournament takes off and delivers some great football that feels meaningful, I'll be here to give it every praise.
Maybe a 0-0 opener wasn't exactly what Fifa and its cheerleaders wanted, neither was the 10-0 embarrassment between Bayern and Auckland, but is a 63 game tournament over 29 days.
Let's wait and see.
The most concerning thing for Fifa must be the feeble ticket sales particularly at the inflated prices initially advertised for some early games. Empty stadiums are not a good look, even if you move the fans and instruct the TV cameras to veer away from the empty spaces. With streaming free in the UK and other regions, there have been staggering sums spent on this tournament. If it doesn't work and the sums do not add up, this loss leader for Fifa could yet become one of the biggest financial white elephants in sporting history.
If it does work, then this is the future of football and could in time grow to be bigger than the Champions League or the World Cup. This is certainly Fifa's vision and it is why the staggering sums have been spent here in the first place.
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Image source, Getty ImagesFormer Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel believes Chelsea could be winning the Champions League again within the next four years.
The Blues last won the trophy four years ago, when they beat Manchester City in Porto in 2021 thanks to a goal from ex-forward Kai Havertz.
As a result, Chelsea qualified for the new-look Fifa Club World Cup which began at the weekend and will take place on a quadrennial basis.
They got their campaign underway on Monday night with a 2-0 win over LAFC, however, the Blues were not at their free-flowing best with some fans suggesting it was the "same old problems" for the side.
After a somewhat tumultuous three years since the new ownership took over, Chelsea looked to finally be seeing some of the fruits of the overhaul after qualifying for the Champions League and securing silverware with the Conference League trophy.
That all despite having the youngest ever team in a single campaign in the Premier League last season at an average of 24 years and 36 days old.
Speaking after the game on DAZN, Mikel said boss Enzo Maresca "is building something special".
He continued: "Don't forget the team is a very young team. We're putting so much pressure on them, it's a very young team.
"If you look at this team in the next two, three, four years, I think we could be talking about them winning the Champions League."
Do you agree with Mikel? Or could it still be a while before Chelsea are lifting that European trophy again?
Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter, in Atlanta
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia says he likes the Club World Cup individual walkouts as he bids to overcome his injury issues.
The 21-year-old started the 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC in Chelsea's opening match of the newly expanded tournament in the United States.
Before kick-off, as with the other matches at Fifa's tournament, each individual player was announced and walked out separately at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
When asked about the experience, Lavia said he liked it: "I think it's something special and new for us. It's a first for us. I enjoyed it. Why not bring it to the Premier League?"
He added: "I mean, it's a bit of a showbiz thing, isn't it? I quite like it. The only difference is [if we did it in the Premier League], we might get a bit cold because once you're out there, you have to wait for maybe the other players.
"But apart from that, it was good. I guess we always learn new things from international tournaments and that's what makes it special."
Defender Tosin Adarabioyo also spoke of the entrances and laughed as he said: "It's something new! We buy into it. We've not done it before so it's a new experience for us all."
Lavia faces new competition after Chelsea signed Dario Essugo from Sporting while also recalling another midfielder in Andrey Santos from his successful loan spell at Strasbourg.
"It's what is needed for the club of this level, so it's all healthy," said Lavia.
"We all have great connections together. It's just about doing our best every day, and then the manager must decide who he wants to pick, but all the players are going to be ready."
But Lavia also needs to improve on his fitness record having made just one substitute appearance in his first season at Stamford Bridge and a further 19 appearances this season, meaning he has missed more matches than he has been available for.
Lavia was then asked whether he hopes to ever emulate Moises Caicedo's feat of starting in all 38 Premier League matches and said: "I'm doing everything possible to stay fit, and playing as many games as possible.
"I think the biggest 'credit' a footballer can have is to be available. It's definitely something I'm aware of.
"So I do everything possible to stay fit. Honestly, all the injuries I have had before, I just want to put them behind me and look forward to the future feeling good. So I don't know why I should be thinking about the injuries."
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea head coach Enzo Maresca says he hopes Cole Palmer will continue to show initiative in his play after impressing in their opening win at the Club World Cup.
The Blues began their tournament with a convincing victory over Los Angeles FC and the Chelsea boss was pleased with his number 10's performance.
"I had a short conversation with Cole and I said to him that I really like the way he was today," said Maresca speaking post-match
"He took responsibility, showed initiative on the ball. He was trying to receive the ball, go one-versus-one against players, and this is the Cole we expect."
This was Chelsea's first game of pre-season, with their last match being their victory over Real Betis in the Uefa Conference League final.
Maresca added: "After the Conference League final, Cole said he was bored when receiving the ball, so he decided to do something different. The day after that interview, I said to him that he could do it from the first minute and why did he wait so long? Why not do the same after one minute?"
"Today he was doing exactly that, and we are happy when he does that. I've said many times Cole is our best player, a top player, and hopefully he can continue to do the right things."
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea have announced they will host a mini-tournament in August involving Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan as post-Club World Cup preparations for the new campaign.
The competition will kick off on 8 August, with the hosts taking on Bundesliga runners-up Leverkusen, now managed by Erik ten Hag.
The Blues wrap up the weekend on 10 August, taking on AC Milan, led once again by Massimiliano Allegri.
Should Chelsea progress to the final of the Club World Cup, then there would be less than a month of rest for the players.
Image source, Getty ImagesWith the transfer window now open again until 1 September, we asked for you to tell us one player you want to bring to Chelsea and one player you want the club to sell.
Here are some of your comments:
Nick: Out - Sterling. Big part of the wage bill and has proven ineffective so needs to go. In - Ideally Maignan. Still not old for a goalkeeper and should be relatively 'cheap', but has a lot of experience that could be passed on to our future 'keepers like Slonina and Penders.
Ewan: Sell the liability that is Robert Sanchez and bring in Dean Henderson.
Cammy: As much as I have backed Nicolas Jackson, I feel his red card against Newcastle was a real 'sliding doors' moment regarding his Chelsea career, and as such, I'd be happy to see him moved on. As for who could replace him, I like the idea of Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart. He's versatile, has a different profile than we already have and most importantly, fits the Clearlake model.
Jeremy: Nkunku to sell. It's been clear to see that he's disillusioned with life at Chelsea and wants out. No point in keeping an unhappy player or even taking him with us to the Club World Cup. Someone that we should sign is Osimhen to be the main striker. Delap is one for the future, but he still needs development and would learn a lot from having Osimhen as a team-mate.
Liam: Sell Sanchez- a good shot stopper but vulnerable from crosses and has a tendency to play us into dangerous situations. Buy Eze - proven in the Premier League and could be tempted to showcase his talent in the Champions League. Would work well on the left side or could even come more central to reduce the burden on Palmer who looked fatigued at the second half of last season.
In this weeks episode, BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast takes a look at the 2004/05 Premier League season when Jose Mourinho delivered Chelsea their first league title in 50 years.
Mark Chapman, Chris Sutton and Rory Smith look back on Mourinho's debut season and hear from midfielder Claude Makelele on his role within the team. Sir Alex Ferguson also offers his take on his rivalry with the Chelsea boss.
Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Image source, Getty ImagesWe asked for your views on Chelsea's opening Club World Cup match against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta.
Here are some of your comments:
Thabiso: Same old problems - ponderous build-up, flimsy press and panicky defence. On the plus side, Liam Delap looks like the menace up front we have been crying out for.
Phil: A bit lethargic but this was only a group game. Noni Madueke was poor, but Nicolas Jackson and Delap looked good, and Cole Palmer and Pedro Neto linked up well together. We need to improve as the tournament progresses but let's not forget this is also part of our pre-season, so rotation and resting will be part of the overall plan.
Olllie: Same old, same old. Palmer carrying the rest of the average bunch. Delap looked good for the minutes he got, but still no spark of excitement for the fans. We need to up our game massively.
David: Chelsea were pretty good after they settled down. While every Chelsea fan wants them to win every game and fixture, Neto is showing how good he is and Palmer seems to be coming out of his shell. Things can only get better (we hope).
Ron: We are still too slow and deliberate in our build-up from defence to attack. Still don't agree with our style of play but Delap looks like a good buy. He makes good runs off the ball, which help to open up well set up defences. Looking forward to seeing some more of the new youngsters, but feel we need another strong central defender and keeper.
Tom: Loved the energy Delap brought to the game when he came on. Great movement and touch to put Enzo Fernandez in for his goal. Very excited about this signing!
Gary: I thought we were very flat against a poor side. We still need a world-class forward and a goalkeeper just to get us closer to the top three, but will we address those positions?
Nick: We were only troubled occasionally, when playing sloppily and losing concentration. Neto was the clear man of the match but Flamengo will be a tougher game for us on Friday.
Image source, Getty ImagesFollowing his Chelsea debut in the 2-0 win over Los Angeles FC at the Club World Cup, Liam Delap's new team-mates have backed the £30m man to be a success at the club.
After Delap made an impressive cameo appearance from the bench in the second half, defender Levi Colwill said: "I've known Liam for a long time now, and I've played against him loads of times. Growing up, you know what sort of players are going to make it and he was always one of those.
"To have him in our team, to train against him, to see him score goals - which I know he will - I'm very excited."
Much has been made of Delap taking on the number nine shirt at Stamford Bridge, but Colwill is not expecting him to feel the pressure.
"I know he wouldn't listen to that or read too much into it because he's a confident player. He's an amazing player, and we know he's going to score goals for Chelsea. That's the mentality we need from every player."
Meanwhile, Tosin Adarabioyo added: "He's settled in very well. He's a good young lad and we know what qualities he brings.
"He's aggressive [when] pressing and an aggressive striker, making sure he's always there, setting the intensity. Hopefully he scores many goals for us."
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea head coach Enzo Maresca was pleased with his team's win in their Club World Cup opener, but admitted the match was played in a "strange" environment.
Goals from Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez were enough to get Chelsea off to a winning start against Los Angeles FC in front of a crowd of just 22,137 at the 71,000 capacity Mercedes-Benz Arena.
"It was a good match, a good performance," said Maresca.
"I think the environment was a bit strange - the stadium was almost empty, not full. But, overall, I think after almost three weeks off we started quite well, we created chances, we won the game and and got a clean sheet. We were able to use different players, so overall [I am] happy."
New signing Liam Delap made his debut from the bench in the second half, and provided the assist for Chelsea's second goal.
Despite this being an opportunity for Maresca to look at his squad, much of the focus shifted to the lack of fans inside the ground.
"We are professional and we have to adapt to the situation and to the environment. You have to adapt when you play with a full stadium. You have to adapt when the stadium is not full," Maresca added.
"The behaviour of the players, the attitude, is important. I think once again today they showed how professional they are.
"We finished the Premier League and the Conference [League] very strong defensively without conceding many goals. Hopefully we can continue with this attitude."
Chelsea have opened talks with Lyon over Belgian winger Malik Fofana, 20. Nottingham Forest have also shown interest. (L'Equipe - in French), external
Meanwhile, the Blues have joined Liverpool, Manchester United and Newcastle in the race for Southampton and England Under-21s winger Tyler Dibling, 19. (CaughtOffside), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column
