Maurizio Sarri could be a busy man this winter as Chelsea look to strengthen their squad and get rid of the deadwood. The Blues’ squad is full of players who are not getting any game time such as Victor Moses, Cesc Fabregas and Danny Drinkwater.
However, one player who is attracting a lot of attention is England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek who is the transfer target of West Ham and Bournemouth this January. Both clubs are looking to get hold of the 22-year-old on loan until the end of the season with a view to making the deal a permanent one in the summer.
Loftus-Cheek is contracted to Chelsea until 2021 but is desperate for regular football otherwise he risks losing his place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
Chelsea are reluctant to let a player of Loftus-Cheek’s ability leave after seeing what has happened to their former players Mo Salah and Kevin De Bruyne since they moved away from Stamford Bridge.
However, Chelsea are aware that Loftus-Cheek will need regular game time soon and as Bournemouth are one of the teams interested in his signature, they could suggest a swap deal involving one of their top transfer targets.
Callum Wilson is one of the names Maurizio Sarri is keen to bring to Stamford Bridge in January after a stunning start to the season for Bournemouth. Chelsea are in need of a proper number nine and Sarri has been left underwhelmed by his current option Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud.
The Blues are willing to pay £30m for Wilson’s signature but Bournemouth do not want to lose their key man as they chase European football and it could take a special offer to convince them to sell. Step forward Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Chelsea could use their English midfielder as part of the deal to convince Eddie Howe to let Wilson join the London side.
It is difficult to judge who would get the better of this deal but you can see the benefits for both clubs and the players themselves. Chelsea get their goalscorer whilst Bournemouth get a quality English midfielder in return. Gametime is a big issue.
If Chelsea do go for Callum Wilson he must be their starting striker otherwise they risk stunting his red-hot form. Loftus-Cheek, on the other hand, would be a perfect fit for Bournemouth’s talented midfield and would relish being a key player in a Premier League side.