Chelsea extended their lead at the top of the Premier League this weekend following a 3-1 win at title rivals Manchester City.

Antonio Conte’s side rode their luck in the first half and went in 1-0 down at the break, but second half goals from Diego Costa, Willian, and Eden Hazard secured the visitors an eighth successive league win.

The result takes them four points clear of Pep Guardiola’s side, with Arsenal now the nearest challengers in second after they thumped West Ham 5-1 at the London Stadium.

Conte has overseen a remarkable transformation at Stamford Bridge, which has seen them go from tenth in the league at the end of September to top of the pile thanks to eight wins in a row.

Victories over Manchester United, Tottenham, and now Man City have outlined their title credentials, and they look like a side that will take some serious stopping as the season progresses.

And, with January approaching, speculation is already building about who Conte may look to add to his squad so his side remain at the summit come May, and indeed those that could leave West London.

Chelsea have been linked with several players, and also some Blues players have been linked with moves away, and here are TWO moves that are seriously unlikely to happen…

Matteo Darmian

This was a rumour that arose back in October, and even then it was a surprise.

Matteo Darmian has struggled to break into the Manchester United team this season, but has had more time on the pitch in recent weeks due to injuries to the likes of Eric Bailly, Daley Blind, Chris Smalling, and Antonio Valencia.

However, it was when he was a surplus to requirements at Old Trafford, and indeed when Chelsea were shipping goals, that the Italian was linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

This speculation may have come from Chelsea boss Antonio Conte working with the full-back at Italy, but surely it’s clear from the opening months of the season that Darmian would not have been the answer.

And, as the Express suggests, Mourinho’s departure from Stamford Bridge last year is hardly going to help matters.

Eden Hazard to Juventus

Chelsea were heavily linked with Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci back in September, with it reported that owner Roman Abramovich was ready to splash the cash on a world-record bid for the 29-year-old.

However, other reports suggested that the Blues were willing to exchange a player and money for Bonucci, and Cesc Fabregas’ name cropped up more often than not.

Nevertheless, one name that did crop up was Eden Hazard, which seems completely ridiculous now, and pretty strange even then.

The Belgian international did not have the best of seasons last time out, but hit the ground running in this campaign, netting two goals in his first three Premier League games.

Yet it was reported that Chelsea would sell Hazard and launch a mega-money move for Bonucci as a way of lowering costs.

Hazard was arguably not in as good a form then as he is now, but he looked much more like the player that helped the Blues win the title in 2014/15, so suggestions that they were going to sell him were a complete surprise.