Chelsea are now believed to be very keen on signing a player who Man City boss Pep Guardiola seriously rates behind-the-scenes, with a new report suggesting they’re pressing for a deal.
Chelsea prepare for Premier League return against Nottingham Forest
On the field, Enzo Maresca is gearing up for a crucial Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest — a match which serves a few intriguing narratives.
As Chelsea prepare to take on Ange Postecoglou’s struggling side, the Blues are sweating over the fitness of a few stars.
Injuries continue to plague Chelsea, with several key players already unavailable for selection. Dario Essugo remains sidelined with a long-term injury and won’t return until early next year, while Cole Palmer, who is Maresca’s star man, remains out with a niggling groin problem.
Adding to Chelsea’s woes upfront, number nine Liam Delap continues to nurse his hamstring, with reports suggesting the summer signing won’t be back until around November/December time.
Delap’s physical presence and goal-scoring instinct have been missed, and his absence limits Maresca’s striker depth at a time when goals are desperately needed.
Defensively, Levi Colwill, won’t be back until next year after he suffered an ACL tear in pre-season, leaving Maresca with Trevoh Chalobah, Josh Acheampong, Benoit Badiashile and Tosin Adarabioyo as his only centre-back options right now.
To make matters more complicated, Enzo Fernández, Chelsea’s influential attacking midfielder, could be a doubt to play Forest after withdrawing from international duty. Fernandez pulled out of Argentina’s squad citing knee inflammation, raising some concerns about his fitness ahead of the trip up north.
Reece James, Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro didn’t travel to represent their countries due to knocks, and while all three could return to face Forest, alongside Andrey Santos and Tosin, the latter pair haven’t been spotted in Cobham training this week.
Enzo Fernández
Knee
Unknown
Cole Palmer
Groin
November
Andrey Santos
Knock
Nottingham Forest
Tosin Adarabioyo
Calf
Nottingham Forest
Dario Essugo
Thigh
Early 2026
Liam Delap
Hamstring
November/December
Levi Colwill
ACL
Spring 2026
via Standard Sport
Postecoglou, meanwhile, will be looking to exploit Chelsea’s injury woes and secure vital points, with the Australian’s job reportedly on the line after a torrid start to life at the City Ground.
Chelsea’s lack of depth in certain areas has been exposed due to injury, and particularly their lack of experience.
Maresca fielded the youngest ever Premier League side on average last season (24 years, 36 days), and their starting eleven to play Benfica was Chelsea’s most youthful team in Champions League history.
Chelsea arguably need more experience in their side if they’re to become Premier League title challengers, so it makes sense that BlueCo hold an interest in the likes of AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan to solve that problem.
Now, according to reports from Italy, Chelsea could turn to another quality veteran in ex-Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Chelsea "pushing" to sign Sergej Milinkovic-Savic on free transfer
As per Corriere dello Sport, the Al-Hilal midfielder, who earns a whopping £418,000-per-week in the Gulf, could return to Europe next year once his contract expires, even if the Saudi Pro League side want to extend it.
Milinkovic-Savic is attracting serious interest from England, Turkey, La Liga and Serie A, with “half of Europe” considering the 30-year-old on a free transfer.
Maresca’s side are among the pack, and it is believed that Chelsea are pushing to sign Milinkovic-Savic as the West Londoners “like him a lot”.
Interestingly, Guardiola is said to hold the Serbia international — who racked up over 340 appearances for Lazio as a general of their midfield — in “high regard”.
Milinkovic-Savic chipped in with 69 goals and 58 assists during his time in Rome, and hasn’t wavered in the Middle East with 30 goals and 26 assists under his belt for Al-Hilal.
The Serb’s proven creativity and ingenuity in the engine room could be attractive for Chelsea, and he could provide serious competition for Fernandez, who plays a very similar role.
On a free transfer, the appeal is obvious, but Milinkovic-Savic would almost certainly have to take a pay cut given Chelsea’s wage structure.