Chelsea eyeing January move for midfielder

Chelsea will hope to return to winning ways when they face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday. 

The Blues came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park in their last game, keeping Enzo Maresca’s side fourth in the top flight table.

The west London side remain in the Carabao Cup and are also in contention to qualify automatically for the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Also in the Premier League’s qualification spots for next season’s Champions League, Maresca will likely be relatively pleased with his side’s season so far.

Villa will provide a daunting test for the Blues, though, with Unai Emery’s side having won 11 of their last 12 games in the league.

Away from the action, it has now emerged that Chelsea have a plan in place for the upcoming January transfer window.

As per CaughtOffside, Chelsea are hoping to add a new midfielder to Maresca’s squad during the mid-season window.

The report claims that the reigning Club World Cup holders have made a midfield addition their top priority for the upcoming window, with several names being considered as possible targets.

Caicedo and Fernandez have both played regularly for Chelsea this season (Photo: Action Plus Sports Images/Alamy)

Lille’s Ayyoub Bouaddi is considered to be Chelsea’s top transfer target, with the 18-year-old widely regarded as one of the most talented young midfielders in Europe.

Chelsea’s desire to bolster their midfield options comes amid what is becoming an increasingly busy season for both Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo.

The pair have already made a combined 45 appearances across all competitions so far this term, and it appears that those in charge of the club are concerned about the duo’s workload.

Fellow midfielder Romeo Lavia continues to struggle with injuries, having made just 30 appearances for the Blues since joining from Southampton two-and-a-half years ago.