Report: Chelsea make £40m midfielder their number one target for January transfer window

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Reports suggest that Chelsea have already determined Edson Alvarez as their number one target for a signing this summer.

According to the Evening Standard, the Blues are expected to be back for the Mexican, with them not expected to stop spending in the January window.

The 24-year-old was the subject of a late £40m bid from the Blues on deadline day, as they looked to sort out the midfield woes they have suffered in the early parts of the season.

N’golo Kante’s injury in the second game of the campaign was the catalyst to a number of poor performances for the Blues in midfield this season, with Mateo Kovacic still returning to full fitness even at this stage of the season.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek was also forced off midway through last week’s defeat to Southampton, with that game being the one missed by Conor Gallagher following his needless red card against Leicester City.

Chelsea will look back to Alvarez

This led to some deadline day antics for the Blues in the midfield areas, with them eventually adding Denis Zakaria to their ranks despite interest in his services from Liverpool.

However, he only joined after the club determined they’d be unable to sign Alvarez, despite his personal desires to leave Ajax.

Despite missing out this summer, the Evening Standard have claimed they will be returning for him in January, hoping his personal desires to join still remain.

Zakaria is yet to make his debut with the club, however him only being signed on a loan deal potentially hints that the club may still be looking to strengthen in the coming windows.

This, combined with the club’s fears that Jorginho will not extend his contract which expires this year, could see the necessity to return for a midfielder, in particular one who is extremely solid in front of the defence.