Chelsea are reportedly weighing up a bevy of forward options in the January transfer window, including Milan's Rafael Leao and Juventus' Dusan Vlahovic.
The Stamford Bridge side are said to have already come to terms on a deal worth at least €10million for 19-year-old striker David Datro Fofana from Norwegian side Molde, per Fabrizio Romano, but their hunt for reinforcements will not stop there.
With young Chelsea striker Armando Broja set for an extended stint on the sidelines due to injury, they are looking to bring in at least one more new face – or perhaps an old face.
TOP STORY – CHELSEA LOOK TO SERIE A FOR NEW MARQUEE FORWARD
According to Calciomercato and ESPN, Chelsea are engaged in discussions about Serie A forward Leao, Vlahovic, and Roma's Tammy Abraham – who left Chelsea in August 2021.
Recent reports claimed Milan had rejected a €70m offer from Chelsea for Leao, and are trying to hold out for his full €150m release clause, but ESPN's update states it will take "at least €80m" – a figure that is not scaring the Premier League side away.
Vlahovic is also believed to be available due to Juventus' behind-the-scenes turmoil, while Abraham has a €75m buy-back option, but that price is said to be above what Chelsea are willing to pay for him.
Meanwhile, the Evening Standard are reporting Atletico Madrid have offered Chelsea two more options up top, giving them the opportunity to buy Joao Felix or Matheus Cunha.
ROUND-UP
– Mundo Deportivo is reporting Liverpool will have to pay £87m for 21-year-old Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who they are believed to have made a pre-agreement with.
– According to 90min, Manchester City have circled Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham and Arsenal's Bukayo Saka as two key targets going forward.
– Manchester United, Newcastle United and Real Madrid are the teams competing for the signature of breakout PSV talent Cody Gakpo, per the Mirror.
– Sport are reporting Barcelona are the favourites to sign Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, as he would prefer to head to Spain instead of the Premier League.
– According to SoccerNews, the agent of Fiorentina midfielder and Morocco standout Sofyan Amrabat is pushing for his move to Liverpool.
Bremer to have surgery after suffering ACL injury
Juventus centre-back Bremer will undergo surgery after sustaining an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against RB Leipzig.
The Brazil international was forced off six minutes into Juve's 3-2 win over Leipzig on Wednesday, with the club confirming the extent of his injury on Thursday.
Bremer has been key to Thiago Motta's side so far this season, playing every minute in Serie A with the team yet to concede a single goal in six matches.
Among his team-mates, he has played the most minutes (540), making the most interceptions (six) and blocks (11).
Juventus were also dealt another blow, with midfielder Nico Gonzalez suffering a thigh muscle injury.
"Bremer and Nico Gonzalez underwent diagnostic tests which revealed an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the left knee for the former and a low-grade injury to the rectus femoris of the right thigh for the latter," the club said in a statement.
"Bremer will undergo surgery in the coming days."
Vancouver Whitecaps v Minnesota United: Togetherness is key for hosts, says Veselinovic
Vancouver Whitecaps defender Ranko Veselinovic believes their togetherness will get them through their tough spot as they prepare to welcome Minnesota United in MLS.
The Whitecaps have already clinched a playoff spot, but have struggled in recent weeks, drawing one and losing three, with their last league win coming against San Jose Earthquakes on September 15.
They sit seventh in the Western Conference, with Minnesota just one place and one point below them, and Veselinovic hopes they can find a solution to their recent blip to put a bigger gap between them.
"We feel like we can do better," he said. "Seattle was a really poor performance, so we need to find a way to be better on Saturday.
"Now it's all about the mental side. We need to find a way, we don't know how yet, but we need to push through.
"The most important thing is to stay together in the locker room and get sharper in the duels and wanting to put in a better performance."
Meanwhile, Minnesota drew 0-0 with Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, failing to make it three wins on the bounce.
However, the draw was enough to clinch their playoff spot with two games remaining, though head coach Eric Ramsay is not going to ease up on the team.
"We really want to make sure that we focus on us, the upcoming games, and I've said from day one of this trip that we came here with a real sense of a mission and purpose," Ramsay said.
"We want to make sure that when we play that final home game that we are really playing for something with something secured."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Vancouver Whitecaps – Pedro Vite
Vancouver failed to score in an MLS game for the first time since early September and struggled to assert themselves in front of goal.
Pedro Vite showed their biggest threat, registering the most shots on target (two), had one of their three big chances, and had the most final third entries on the team (11).
Minnesota United – Bongokuhle Hlongwane
Minnesota also drew a blank in their most recent outing, but despite an underwhelming performance, Bongokuhle Hlongwane caused some problems.
He was responsible for 0.42 of their 0.77 expected goals (xG) and had the joint-most shots, but their top scorer could not find a breakthrough.
MATCH PREDICTION: VANCOUVER WHITECAPS WIN
Vancouver are unbeaten in their last three matches against Minnesota (W2 D1), scoring three times in both of those wins, while they also got the better of the Loons in a pre-season friendly in February.
After a three-match unbeaten streak in MLS straight after the Leagues Cup break, the Whitecaps are now winless in four (D1 L3). They also drew the Canadian Championship final before prevailing on penalties last month.
Meanwhile, Minnesota have lost just one of their last six matches (W4 D1), but are unbeaten in their last three, keeping a clean sheet in each of those after a run of five without a shutout in the league.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Vancouver Whitecaps – 46.8%
Draw – 26.4%
Minnesota United – 26.8%
New England Revolution v D.C. United: Lesesne hoping to keep high level on 'hard' road trip
Troy Lesesne was full of praise for D.C. United's comeback win over Nashville SC but has urged the team to maintain their high level when they travel to New England Revolution.
D.C. came from behind, scoring two late goals to snatch a 4-3 victory over Nashville in midweek, moving them to 11th in the Eastern Conference.
They are one of three teams on 37 points and still have a chance of making the playoffs with two games remaining.
Lesesne is now keen to build on their latest run of form in what he describes as a tough place to visit.
"It's another situation where we need three points," Lesesne said. "We can go do it, but we just need to be in this mindset.
"New England are a very good team, I understand where they are in the table, but it's really hard to get points there and we need to be at our best again.
"I've been trying to communicate a clear message the entire season about the mentality, and how the players display themselves. That was on full display [against Nashville]."
Meanwhile, New England's slim chances of making the playoffs are still alive, despite suffering a 2-1 defeat to Houston Dynamo last time out.
They sit 14th in the table on 31 points with three games left, but head coach Caleb Porter acknowledged they need to improve the small details if they want to make it to the postseason.
"For me, where we fell short is the details [against Houston]," Porter said. "And that's the area of our team that we have to continue to work on.
"We have to finish our chances. We have to be smarter in those details of our decision-making. And the guys know that. So, for me, that's a real learning lesson."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
New England Revolution – Carles Gil
Carles Gil scored for the first time since early September from the penalty spot against Houston, ending a run of four games without a goal.
He is the team's second top-scorer on seven goals, while he has also registered the most assists (five), and the Revs will be hoping he can provide the spark in their search for a vital three points.
D.C. United – Gabriel Pirani
Most of the headlines for D.C. will often go to Christian Benteke, who has a league-high 22 goals so far. However, Gabriel Pirani stepped up when it counted on Wednesday.
He sits second on their goalscoring charts with six for the season, getting two of those in stoppage time in midweek, to flip the game on its head and claim a superb victory.
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION WIN
New England were on a three-match unbeaten streak against D.C. but lost their most recent meeting with them this season, going down 3-1 in February. However, D.C. have lost their last four trips to Gillette Stadium.
The Revs have won just one of their last seven MLS matches (D2 L4), though that victory came in their last home game as they edged past Nashville 1-0.
Meanwhile, D.C. have lost just one of their last six outings (W3 D2) – that defeat did come on the road, but they bounced back, coming from behind to get their win over Nashville in midweek.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
New England Revolution – 45.5%
Draw – 26.8%
D.C. United – 27.6%
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
