Powerhouse FREE to join Chelsea this January – Chelsea ready pay £85M sign target – Blues ready sign AFCON star

by admin · Published 10 January 2026 · Updated 9 January 2026

Here is a roundup of the top Chelsea news, gossip and transfer latest from icfootballnews featuring the likes of Yan Diomande, Antonio Rudiger and Rafael Leao that we think you guys may have missed….

Real Madrid are willing to part with Antonio Rudiger, as his contract runs down towards free agency. The German defender is set to see his current deal expire in the summer but reports claim Chelsea could make a move this January

Rudiger ended his five-year stay with CHELSEA to complete a move to the Bernabeu back in 2022 and the 32-year-old defender has proven to be a great piece of business for the La Liga giants and has become a real fans favourite at the club.

In that time, Rudiger has made 163 appearances in all competitions for Madrid and helped Los Blancos win eight pieces of silverware, including the 2023/24 Champions League trophy, but the German is out of contract in the Spanish capital next summer and there is some uncertainty surrounding the big mans future, with a host of top clubs keeping close tabs on developments.

Spanish newspaper AS report that Rudiger has ‘several options’ on the table should he fail to reach an agreement to extend his stay with Madrid beyond the end of the current season, and that Chelsea are very interested in bringing him back to the club.

According to Fichajes, the Blancos are prepared to sell in January for €10 million (£9m/$12m), with Chelsea keen on taking the commanding centre-half back to Stamford Bridge. Paris Saint-Germain are also mulling over a move

IcFootballnews says…

CHELSEA like to buy young, they like to sign players that will be a long-term investment, but having that experience in the side will make those younger players better in the long-run.

If the reports are true and the club wants to sign Rudiger, he will be brilliant to have in the dressing room for a season or two, he is a winner, a leader and a massive person to have around in that dressing room.

He may not play much, but he would be welcomed back by many Blues fans that is for sure guys, but money talks and that switch to Saudi Arabia may be more realistic.

CHELSEA TO MAKE LEAO MOVE?

Chelsea are ready to back new manager Liam Rosenior by splashing out £150 million to strengthen the squad during this transfer window, according to Ekrem Konur.

The 41-year-old, formerly the manager of BlueCo-owner Strasbourg, has put pen to paper on a five-and-a-half year contract, tying him to the Blues until 2032 after the club made the decision that he was the right man to replace Enzo Maresca.

And with the transfer window open for a few more weeks, it will give Rosenior the chance to add some players to the side that he wants, stars will freshen up that attack and maybe that defence for the rest of the season.

And reports have claimed that CHELSEA have already highlighted AC Milan star Rafael Leao as a potential target, as many reports claim the Blues hold a long-standing interest in the attacker and are ready to launch a formal £85m bid to secure his service.

The reports comes after legend John Terry said that he feels further investment is required before the January transfer deadline, despite Chelsea splashing out in the region of £285million on new recruits last summer.

Turning his attentions to the potential incomings at Stamford Bridge, Terry went on: ‘Hopefully the board and the owners are going to back him and give him money to go in the transfer market and bring some players in.

‘Hopefully things will settle down now and we can concentrate on the football.

‘Listen, like all Chelsea fans, whoever the manager is and has been over the years as well, Chelsea fans will always get behind their manager and we’ll look to do that on Wednesday.’

IcFootballnews Says…

Leao is a player that CHELSEA have been linked with in the past, he is just the type of skilfull attacker that could bring some excitement to that Chelsea side, but would he leave Milan in January?

It would have to be a crazy offer for that to happen guys that is for sure.

CHELSEA WANT DIOMANDE

Here is the latest Chelsea transfer speculation that you may have missed as reports have claimed the Gunners have become the latest club to show interest in RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande.

CHELSEA have finally managed to secure the services of Liam Rosenior for the next five years after they made the move to get a swoop done, and now the Blues can focus on adding to their squad.

But despite all the quality that Chelsea has all over the pitch, there has been reports that the Blues have joined the chase alongside Arsenal, Man United and Tottenham in the hunt to try and sign Yan Diomande.

Diomande has established himself as one of the best young prospects in the Bundesliga since joining RB Leipzig from CD Leganes this past summer. and he 19-year-old has been one of the most productive attackers for the Bundesliga club this season, scoring seven goals and providing four assists in 16 outings in all competitions thus far.

But according to The Athletic, a fee of £86million may be required to sign Diomande in the coming windows, and Furthermore, as Leipzig have no intention of allowing Diomande to leave, it will take a very large offer for them to consider a winter sale as his contract expires in 2030.

IcFootballnews Says…

Diomande is the type of player that CHELSEA like to sign, young, hungry and full of talent. But he is a player that the club do not need right now and adding him to the squad would only unsettle his development.

However – despite the fact the Blues are one of the biggest clubs in world football, there is so much quality in that Blues side that Diomande may not get the chances that he is right now.

So maybe a move to Chelsea is not the best thing for the lad?

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