Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues monitoring Napoli winger; club set to battle Manchester City for AC Milan forward, and more - November 7, 2022
Chelsea endured a frustrating time at Stamford Bridge on Sunday (November 6), coming up second-best against Arsenal in the Premier League. Graham Potter's wards lost 1-0 and remain seventh in the standings.
Meanwhile, the Blues are monitoring a Napoli winger. Elsewhere, the London giants are set to battle Manchester City for the services of an AC Milan winger next summer.
On that note, here's a look at the key Chelsea transfer stories as on November 7, 2022:
Chelsea monitoring Khvicha Kvaratskhelia
Chelsea are monitoring Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, according to journalist Simon Stone.
The Georgian winger has been a revelation for Napoli this season, helping them go six points clear at the top in Serie A. The 21-year-old has been equally impressive in the UEFA Champions League, prompting interest from around the continent.
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Stone said that the Blues have scouted Kvaratskhelia in recent games.
"Chelsea are definitely one of many clubs that are watching him closely. I know for a fact that Chelsea have scouted him in recent games, so they’ve done fresh scouting missions on him. He’s certainly a player being talked about more and more at Chelsea as a potential target in the future," said Stone.
The Georgian has scored eight goals from 17 appearances for Napoli this season.
Blues set to battle Manchester City for Rafael Leao
Chelsea are preparing to go head-to-head with Manchester City for Rafael Leao, according to Tuttomercato via Caught Offside.
The Portuguese forward has become a household name, thanks to his consistent performances with AC Milan. Leao has six goals and nine assists from 18 games across competitions this season and is under contract with the Rossoneri till 2024.
The Serie A giants could be tempted to offload the player next summer if he refuses to sign a new deal.
Milan are expected to ask for at least £105 million, with the Blues hoping that his arrival would rejuvenate their misfiring attack. However, the London giants could face stiff competition from City to get their man.
Graham Potter least pleased with performance against Arsenal
Graham Potter has said that Arsenal were the better team on Sunday as the Blues succumbed to a disappointing home loss.
Speaking after the defeat, Potter said that his team are in a different phase of development than their London rivals.
"The boys gave everything. We got into a few situations into the box, but we missed that last little bit and overall Arsenal deserved to win. The goal is disappointing, and over the course of the game, we don’t have too many complaints at the result," said Potter.
He added:
"We have to look at where the two teams are at. Arsenal are in a good moment and have worked together for a long time. We’re in different phase."
Potter also said that his team lacked quality on the pitch and spoke about using the defeat as motivation.
"We lacked quality, but the effort was there, and we were beaten by the better team today. We huffed and puffed, but you could see the difference between the two teams in terms of confidence, structure and work together," said Potter.
He added:
"We’re not in a fantastic moment as we speak, and in the end, Arsenal deserved to win because they were the better team overall. We have to take that and use it as motivation to improve."
Chelsea have won six and lost four of their 13 league games this season.