Neto hat-trick sends Chelsea through, Blues push for Murillo
Chelsea and Tottenham have shown interest in Bayern centre-back Kim Min-jae. The £20m-rated South Korea defender is third choice behind Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah and has 14 Bundesliga games this season.
Spurs are monitoring ex-Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger, out of contract at Real Madrid and open to a Premier League return. He could be a free agent as Cristian Romero’s future remains uncertain.
Chelsea face Liverpool competition for Aston Villa’s Morgan Rogers, with talks over a move worth up to €115m. Blues also linked with Juventus defender Lloyd Kelly and Bayern’s Kim Min-jae.
Chelsea centre-back target Jacobo Ramon, listed with Marcos Senesi, is now on Real Madrid’s shortlist alongside Ibrahima Konate. A £7m buyback could take Ramon to Madrid, forcing Chelsea to look elsewhere.
Pedro Neto hits a hat-trick in a 4-0 win at Hull, with Estevao also scoring. Delap provides three assists, Sanchez keeps a clean sheet as Chelsea reach the FA Cup fifth round.
Cole Palmer, £40m, has five wins and four goals in six games against Burnley. Fresh after a rest and recent hat-tricks under Liam Rosenior, he is expected to start at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Chelsea Women beat Liverpool 2-0 as the post-Paul Green era begins. Fans chant his name, Bompastor praises ‘character’, but key contracts and summer plans loom.
Patrice Evra recalls a 2008 Stamford Bridge scuffle with a Chelsea groundsman after a 2-1 defeat, saying he ‘got lucky’. The FA sought CCTV. Evra also reflects on duties marking Lionel Messi for Man Utd.
Chelsea scouts watched RB Leipzig’s 19-year-old Yan Diomande vs Wolfsburg. The winger has 15 goal contributions in 24 games, scored again, and is valued at €100m. Liverpool lead, but Chelsea remain keen.
Chelsea are ‘advanced’ in a move for Nottingham Forest centre-back Murillo, valued at £50m, amid competition from Liverpool, with Tottenham and Man United trailing.
Eden Hazard recalls missing Chelsea training after losing his passport, apologising to Jose Mourinho and being dropped. He also hails Mousa Dembele as underrated.
Chelsea reportedly offered Lucas Bergvall a contract in January but Tottenham blocked a sale. Blues weighed midfield options amid injuries to Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo.
Ex-Chelsea winger Raheem Sterling joins Feyenoord but awaits a visa, so Robin van Persie moves training to Belgium so he can train. Sterling had his Chelsea deal terminated in January.
Agent Marc Kosicke says Chelsea approached Jürgen Klopp after his Liverpool exit, but he rejected managing another English club and is happy as Red Bull’s global football director.
Despite Liam Rosenior hailing Trevoh Chalobah’s ‘fantastic’ form and love for the club, Chelsea will listen to offers, viewing an academy sale as pure profit amid plans to reshape centre-back options.
Chelsea are tracking Brentford’s Igor Thiago, an aerial threat who could suit Pedro Neto’s frequent crossing. Thiago has 17 goals this season and strong headed metrics.
