Chelsea miss out on £51m target as Enzo Fernandez replacement as Xabi Alonso issues Moises Caicedo update
Chelsea’s failure to sign a new midfielder may be looking more foolish by the day amid ongoing injury concerns for Moises Caicedo, while a summer target has signed a contract extension.
For the 2026-27 campaign, Chelsea recruited a whole host of players, including midfielders Jordan Henderson and Valentin Barco, who can also play at left-back or left wing-back, and the slightly more advanced Morgan Rogers.
On the flip side, defensive midfielder Andrey Santos was sold to Manchester United for around £50million and Enzo Fernandez joined Manchester City for a joint-British transfer record of £125m.
That leaves Xabi Alonso’s team with Caicedo, an injury-prone Romeo Lavia, 36-year-old Henderson, and Barco as their central midfielders.
Much was made of how they tried and failed to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco on deadline day following Fernandez’s exit, as the 22-year-old’s transfer fell through at the eleventh hour.
To make matters worse, in Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, Alonso was without Ecuadorian international Caicedo – who came off injured against his former team, Brighton and Hove Albion, last weekend.
On his absence, Alonso said before the game, “He was close. But there is no point in taking a risk at this moment. We need to be cautious.”
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Chelsea may yet be forced into a midfield signing in January, particularly if injuries stack up for the Blues in the coming months.
Chelsea miss out on PSG target
Earlier this summer, Chelsea were linked with Paris Saint-Germain star Fabian Ruiz. The former Napoli man reportedly had a £51m price tag as the Stamford Bridge outfit assessed their transfer options.
The 30-year-old helped Spain win this summer’s World Cup and although he is an important player at PSG, he did express his desires to return to former club Real Betis one day.
He said in July, “The truth is, yes. I’ve always said it. I never hide it. I’m eager to come back. It’s getting closer every day. I’m a Betis fan, and one day I hope to return to Betis.”
For the time being, though, the 6ft 2in player is going nowhere as reports suggest Ruiz has signed a contract extension with the French giants until 2028.
Ruiz joined PSG from Napoli in 2022 and since then, he has scored 16 goals and played 172 times for the Ligue 1 team.
In that stretch, he has won four league titles, two Coupe de Frances, and two Champions Leagues, among other prizes. It seems Chelsea will have to look elsewhere for a midfielder.
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