The 27-year-old France international has scored just two goals and registered only 325 minutes in the Premier League for Chelsea this season, even being linked with Manchester United in recent weeks. Although Maresca expressed his desire for the player to stay, Chelsea have shown that they're prepared to do deals to move players on if they are deemed surplus to requirements by the football hierarchy.
Dani Olmo
The Spain international's future at Barcelona will be dictated by the outcome of the club's attempts to secure new funding so they can extend the forward's registration with LaLiga ahead of a Dec. 31 deadline. Having moved to Camp Nou for an initial €55m from RB Leipzig last summer, Olmo could become a free agent on Jan. 1 if Barca fail to secure the funding that will allow them to re-register the player without breaching LaLiga's financial regulations. (Their appeal to extend the deadline was already rejected last week, leaving the club little time to fix the issue.)
The potential availability of the Euro 2024 winner on a free transfer in January has alerted a host of Premier League clubs including Manchester City and Manchester United. And although Barcelona are expected to beat the deadline, there is plenty of interest in the versatile forward if he suddenly becomes available.
Bryan Mbeumo
The Brentford forward already has 10 Premier League goals this season and is once again proving himself to be one of the division's most reliable scorers. Brentford are determined to keep the Cameroon international for the remainder of this season, but entering the final 18 months of his contract makes the club vulnerable to a significant bid for the 25-year-old.
Manchester United and Arsenal are both in the market for a proven forward and Mbeumo's track record in the Premier League not only makes him a strong option, but also a less costly one than Sporting CP's Viktor Gyökeres.
Tyler Dibling
Southampton are aiming to secure 18-year-old forward Dibling to a lucrative new contract at St. Mary's following his impressive performances for the Premier League strugglers this season. With the Saints seemingly destined for relegation following promotion from the Championship last season, Southampton are facing a battle to hold on to the homegrown talent whose existing contract expires in June 2026.
Man United are very much interested, as they look to rebuild their squad under Ruben Amorim by identifying the best emerging talent in Europe, and they may have an advantage in their pursuit. Dibling signed his most recent contract at Southampton under the guise of Jason Wilcox, who left his role as director of football at St Mary's to become United's technical director earlier this year.
Randal Kolo Muani
The 26-year-old Paris Saint-Germain forward has fallen out of favour at Parc des Princes under coach Luis Enrique and appears likely to leave the French champions in January. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked with the France international, who signed for PSG in a €95m move from Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023.
Kolo Muani has scored just two goals in 14 appearances in all competitions this season, and only 12 in 44 games last season for PSG. But his return of 23 goals in 46 games for Frankfurt in 2022-23 made him one of the hottest strikers in Europe and despite his poor form at PSG, a club in need of goals could make a move for Kolo Muani in January.
Casemiro
The Manchester United midfielder has become a peripheral figure in the team following Amorim's arrival as coach in November, making him available for a loan or permanent transfer in January. Sources have told ESPN that United courted Saudi Pro League clubs over a potential summer deal for the former Real Madrid player, but no firm interest was forthcoming.
With 18 months to run on his £300,000-a-week contract at Old Trafford, United face a financial hit in order to get Casemiro off the wage bill. But with his diminishing value due to his contract length, a deal in January offers United the best chance of cutting their losses on the Brazil international.
Ben Chilwell
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca told Chilwell he could find a new club during the summer window, but the left-back was unable to negotiate a move before the transfer deadline. The 28-year-old has made just one first-team appearance all season -- a 45-minute Carabao Cup outing against Barrow -- and is expected to be one of the first senior players to leave Stamford Bridge in January.
With two-and-a-half years to run on his £200,000-a-week contract, Chelsea will have to subsidise Chilwell's wages or accept a low transfer fee for the player to get him off the books, but with left-backs in short supply, several clubs will be interested in the former Leicester City defender at the right price.
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