Chelsea's slow start to the Premier League season under Xabi Alonso has intensified speculation about their January transfer targets, despite a heavy summer spend that brought Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra to the club at great expense.
Further defensive and midfield reinforcements may be needed as the Blues struggle with a leaky back line. Here are the biggest Chelsea transfer rumours of the day.
Summer transfer regret over Manu Kone
Chelsea will regret not signing Manu Kone this summer, according to reports. The France international was considered as a late-window replacement for the Manchester City-bound Enzo Fernandez, but no move materialised after club officials made clear he was not for sale due to insufficient time to find a replacement.
New reports from Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport suggest the Giallorossi have raised their asking price. Earlier in the summer, Kone could have been available for €50m (£42.9m), but that figure has now doubled to €100m (£85.9m).
Blues challenge European giants for Gambian wonderkid
Chelsea are one of several top European sides tracking 15-year-old Gambian Adama Jeng, per reports from the Daily Mail. The teenager caught scouts' attention while representing his nation's U17 side at a youth tournament in Senegal.
Jeng is a product of the Samger FC academy. Chelsea see him as a 'star in the making', but face competition from Bayern Munich, Benfica, Monaco, Union Saint-Gilloise, Sporting CP and Paris FC.
Gibbs-White pursuit hits a snag
Chelsea face competition from Bayern Munich if they bid for Morgan Gibbs-White in the summer. The Blues hold a long-standing interest in the player, as reported by the Daily Mail earlier this summer, but Bayern are now reported by TalkSport to be the leading contenders to sign the Forest vice-captain.
Their interest comes despite Gibbs-White signing a new long-term deal last summer after Forest rejected bids from Tottenham. Forest will not let him go easily, with any sale likely to eclipse the £116m they received from Manchester City for Eliott Anderson.
It remains to be seen whether Chelsea will renew their interest in Gibbs-White when the window reopens, after spending heavily on Morgan Rogers in July.
Arsenal transfer battle for Gjivai Zechiel
Arsenal and Chelsea are both monitoring Feyenoord's Gjivai Zechiel ahead of the January transfer window. The 22-year-old central midfielder is reported by Caught Offside to be a target for the London rivals.
He will not be available cheaply, though, with Lille seeing a €17m (£14.5m) bid rejected in the summer. Zechiel is under contract until 2029.
