The top ten players linked with signing for Chelsea in the January transfer window, with Jose Mourinho seeking to gain ground on Premier League leaders Arsenal.
Chelsea may not have been as utterly relentless in their pursuit of the Premier League title so far as they were in Jose Mourinho’s first reign at Stamford Bridge, but the west London outfit are still in a competitive position, and just four points behind leaders Arsenal.
Mourinho’s focus now turns to the possibility of overtaking the Blues’ London rivals with January transfer window recruitment.
Here’s our list of the top ten players recently linked with a Chelsea transfer.
Radamel Falcao (AS Monaco)
Chelsea continue to be linked with a move to sign Radamel Falcao despite repeated insistences from his club AS Monaco that the player is not available.
The Daily Express have again reported that Blues boss Jose Mourinho hopes to bring the Colombia international to Stamford Bridge in January.
That Chelsea are interested in a player who already has nine Ligue 1 goals is little surprise, but given that Falcao cost Monaco €60 million in the summer, he would not be a cheap or easy signing for Roman Abramovich.
Ross Barkley (Everton)
As Frank Lampard approaches his 36th birthday, Chelsea must think of alternate options to provide a goalscoring threat from midfield.
A decent option would be Everton starlet Ross Barkley, capped by England at the age of 19, and a brilliant prospect.
The Daily Mirror claimed in October that Chelsea would look to make an offer for Barkley in January.
Nemanja Matic (Benfica)
Nemanja Matic actually used to play for Chelsea, but left the club in the deal that brought David Luiz to Stamford Bridge in 2011.
The 6’4″ Serbia defensive midfielder is a powerhouse in front of the defence for SL Benfica, and has already signalled he would be interested in returning to Stamford Bridge.
“I would probably like to stay another year with Benfica, but if somebody like Mourinho wanted to bring me back to London, it would be difficult to turn down,” Matic told the Metro.
“It would be a great chance to prove that I can play in the Premier League.”
Eliaquim Mangala (FC Porto)
Eliaquim Mangala has been a tremendous centre back for FC Porto since transferring to the Portuguese giants in August 2011.
The 22 year-old Frenchman has been linked with a transfer to Chelsea to replace John Terry.
Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid)
Xabi Alonso’s importance to Real Madrid was illustrated best in his absence.
The Spain international fractured his metatarsal in August, and only recently made his comeback for his club.
After a difficult month period between September 28th and October 26th with defeats to Atletico Madrid and FC Barcelona, Real Madrid have won every La Liga fixture since Ancelotti restored Xabi Alonso to his team.
However, at the age of 31 it may be time to start blooding his replacement Asier Illarramendi, and with Alonso’s contract set to expire in 2014, the Daily Mirror have linked him with a reunion with Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge.
Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain)
Edinson Cavani has reportedly told Paris Saint-Germain that he is unhappy with Zlatan Ibrahimovic being at the forefront of the Ligue 1 giants’ attack, and has put out feelers for an alternative club to ply his trade.
Cavani has scored ten goals in Ligue 1 so far this season, and having cost €64.5 million in the summer, he would be an immensely expensive acquisition for Chelsea.
Still, Chelsea are amongst a number of clubs linked with the Uruguay superstar.
Giannelli Imbula (Olympique Marseille)
Giannelli Imbula is a bustling defensive midfielder who makes an average of 2.4 tackles per match in Ligue 1.
The Olympique de Marseille anchor player was recently linked with a £25 million move to Stamford Bridge, with John Obi Mikel having failed to convince in the position for the Blues.
Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain)
Blaise Matuidi has emerged as one of the best combative midfielders in world football, with the 26 year-old joining PSG as a replacement for Claude Makelele – a former Chelsea star of course.
Matuidi’s contract runs out in June, meaning he would be free to negotiate with Chelsea in January.
The Daily Mirror are convinced that he will do so.
Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
Karim Benzema suffered poor form in front of goal for around two months, with no goals scored in La Liga between 26th August and 30th October.
As a result, rumours that Real Madrid were to consider selling the Frenchman on grew, with Chelsea linked with a bid by the Daily Express.
However, Benzema’s strike rate has drastically improved since developing a strong understanding with Gareth Bale, and Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti may now be reluctant to let a goal scoring striker go.
Jackson Martinez (FC Porto)
Jackson Martinez has been perhaps the strongest linked forward to Chelsea in recent weeks, with ESPN stating that the Colombian’s agent has been in London for secret talks with Roman Abramovich’s right-hand man Marina Granovskaia about a potential transfer.
The tall forward has been an immensely prolific goalscorer in the Primeira Liga for the past few seasons and may now look to make his mark in one of Europe’s biggest leagues.