Chelsea have three January transfer priorities with £45m ace on the chopping block

Chelsea have been the Premier League’s biggest spenders in recent years, with the January window bringing another opportunity for the Blues to splash their cash.

They have enjoyed a brilliant start to the campaign, having emerged as Liverpool’s closest challengers with Arsenal and Manchester City falling flat. However, they are still very much a team in transition and that is likely to continue in January.

It remains to be seen how Chelsea will approach the winter market, but there are a few clear priorities that will need to be addressed before the end of the window.

The west Londoners will be hoping to find a buyer for Ben Chilwell, who appears to have no future at Stamford Bridge having been frozen out by Enzo Maresca.

In the summer, it was reported that Chilwell had been deemed surplus to requirements.. He was linked with several clubs but nothing materialised and he ended up staying at Chelsea.

The former Leicester City defender will be crying out for a January move to get his career back on track, which would also free up space on Chelsea’s wage bill to address a problem area.

Robert Sanchez has often looked unconvincing between the sticks, with his sloppy distribution and lack of consistency being exposed at times.

A dependable goalkeeper is often the cornerstone of a title-winning team and Chelsea could boost their chances of Premier League glory by signing an upgrade on the Spaniard.

Mike Maignan would be the ideal choice but with the Frenchman likely to remain at AC Milan, a move for Borussia Dortmund stopper Gregor Kobel might come into their thinking.

Chelsea will also be looking to resolve the future of Christopher Nkunku before the January window slams shut. The forward is said to be frustrated over his lack of minutes, leading to speculation that he could move elsewhere.

Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer have been keeping him out of the side and their impressive form suggests that is unlikely to change any time soon.

The Blues will either need to promise Nkunku more game time or begin the process of finding him a new club, with Barcelona reportedly weighing up a potential move.

Only time will tell if Chelsea manage to achieve all of their objectives in the January window, with a successful month able to boost their hopes of winning a surprise Premier League title.