Chelsea Transfer News/Rumours Update – 7 January 2013

• Chelsea approach Everton for Fellaini price

  • The Daily Star Sunday says Chelsea have been told they will have to pay £30million to sign Marouane Fellaini from Everton.

    A source close to the Merseyside club say they can afford to play hard-ball over the Belgium midfielder because he still has over three years left on his contract.

    Everton turned down £20m for Fellaini, 25, in the summer and, despite posting a £9m annual loss last week, are trying to hold on to their asset.

    Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich hopes boss Rafa Benitez can use fellow Belgian Eden Hazard to persuade Fellaini to join him.

• Reading swooping for Chelsea’s Benayoun

• Reading are swooping for Chelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun.

  The Daily Star Sunday says Royals boss Brian McDermott wants the Israeli midfielder, 32, after Arsenal’s Andrey Arshavin rejected a move.

  Turkish club Galatasaray would like the Russian, 31, after having a £4million bid rejected last summer.

  Benayoun’s time with the Hammers has been plagued by injuries.

• Chelsea paid huge money to Ba agents

  • The Sunday Express says Blues were forced to pay £10million to take Newcastle United striker Ba to Stamford Bridge.

    Ba’s advisors received a £2.5m pay-out – and it didn’t come out of the £7.5m transfer fee.

    Chelsea triggered Ba’s escape clause of £7.5m, one which Newcastle’s hierarchy made strenuous attempts to remove with talks over an improved deal, once the January transfer window opened for business.

    At first the move fell down when Chelsea were made aware of the extra payment on top of the agreed fee, but the European champions, anxious to bring in support for Fernando Torres, decided to stump up more cash.

• Agent says Drogba in talks with AC Milan, Juventus

  • “Didier has a termination agreement with the Chinese club and I think he has a lot of possibilities to arrive in Italy in January,” his agent Carlos Arino Bajo told tuttomercatoweb.com.

    “There is real interest from Juventus and AC Milan, and it is the same from Didier regarding the transfer.

    “There have been contacts with both clubs and next week we will hear from them again. He would love to compete in one of the world’s best leagues, such as the Italian Serie A.”

• Watford extend deal for Chelsea’s Chalobah ~ Zola
• Lampard admits uncertainty over future is distracting but is still relishing every moment on the pitch for Chelsea ~ Daily Mail
• Man City, United and Chelsea consider move for £33m Madrid flop Modric ~ Daily Mail
• Luka Modric has put Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City on alert for a summer move ‘home’ from Real Madrid. ~ The Mirror
• Chelsea are also close to announcing the £15million signing of Malaga’s Spain Under-21 international midfielder Isco. ~ The Mirror
• Chelsea have agreed a three-and-a-half-year contract for highly-rated youth midfielder Conor Hunte, a 16-year-old who was also interesting the Manchester clubs and Liverpool. ~The Mirror

Do let us know, what you think about them and which faces you’d love to see at Stamford Bridge. Isco? Lampard? Modric? Which deals do you think will go through? Let us know!