Chelsea provide injury update on 6 first-team stars ahead of PL clash against Bournemouth
Chelsea have issued an update on the recovery of their injured players ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash against Bournemouth. The Blues could miss up to six players as they prepare to face the Cherries in the last game of the season.
A release on the club's website stated that Robert Sanchez, Enzo Fernandez, Wesley Fofana and Romeo Lavia were continuing to undergo their reconditioning programme. Meanwhile, Carney Chukwuemeka has made a return to team training, while Mykhailo Mudryk is currently in concussion protocol.
It has been a disastrous year on the injury front for Chelsea as they led the league with 54 different setbacks to their squad. Notably, top stars like Reece James and Christopher Nkunku have missed extended portions of the campaign, which played a massive role as they had a poor start to the season.
Robert Sanchez has been out of action for close to a month with a suspected knee injury. The summer signing from Brighton began the season as the Blues' number 1 but has eventually been replaced by Djordje Petrovic.
Enzo Fernandez was heavily involved for the side, making 40 appearances in all competitions until April. He then underwent a season-ending procedure to treat a sports hernia he had been playing through for most of the campaign.
Wesley Fofana suffered an injury to his cruciate ligament before the start of the campaign and has not featured at all. Romeo Lavia, meanwhile, made just a single appearance off the bench before suffering a thigh injury.
Chukwuemeka is set to make a return from a knee injury as well, with Mauricio Pochettino stating earlier that there was a chance he could feature in their previous clash against Brighton. Mudryk, on the other hand, suffered a blow to the head in that fixture and was subsequently taken off.
Chelsea close to finalising move for Brazilian youngster: Reports
Chelsea are holding talks to sign Brazilian attacker Estevao Willian. According to journalist Rahman Osman, the player has already agreed personal terms with the Blues and negotiations with his club Palmeiras have begun.
The 17-year-old is one of the hottest prospects in world football, shining in the Brazilian league alongside teammate Endrick, who has already secured a move to Real Madrid.
Chelsea are confident of reaching an agreement for the player. Reports suggest they are looking to offer close to a €55 million package including add-ons. They have recruited heavily from South America in recent years, signing the likes of Andrey Santos and Deivid Washington, while also completing a deal for Kendry Paez.