Osimhen and £66m star join as three outcasts axed – Chelsea's dream January window

Chelsea have demonstrated their ambition by splashing out record transfer fees across Europe’s top five leagues over the past two years. But with marquee signings such as Victor Osimhen still in their sights, their spending may not be over just yet.

The Blues racked up a £220million bill in the summer after bringing in 12 new signings, with Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Jadon Sancho, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marc Guiu, Renato Veiga and Filip Jorgensen adding to their incredible squad depth.

Their business also included snapping up Estevao Willian, Mike Penders, Aaron Anselmino and Caleb Wiley for the future.

Enzo Maresca’s side are sitting pretty in the Premier League’s top four. But ahead of the January transfer window, the Italian could be looking at further reinforcements – especially after Mykhaylo Mudryk was provisionally suspended from football.

Express Sport examines how Chelsea’s dream transfer window might play out this winter.

Osimhen signs

Some five months after his proposed swap deal fell through, Osimhen might just get a second shot at playing in the Premier League with Chelsea.

The Nigerian was forced to make contingency plans in the summer when the Blues apparently refused to meet his wage demands, with the 25-year-old finding himself out in the cold under Antonio Conte.

Galatasaray offered him a route out of Naples with a season-long loan deal, but it is widely expected Osimhen will cut short his temporary move in order to return to Europe’s major leagues. With 10 goals in 14 outings, the striker has been in deadly form and his performances won’t have gone unnoticed on King’s Road, as well as elsewhere in Europe.

While Osimhen has insisted he is “very happy” to stay in Istanbul, things can change in an instant in the transfer market and Napoli may decide to cash in should any interested party lodge a significant offer.

Chelsea have lost some of their leverage after selling Romelu Lukaku to the Partenopei for £30m, but their relations with their Italian counterparts have been strengthened as a result of that business.

Of course, Maresca may feel his attacking options are adequate enough with Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku contributing 21 goals between them in all competitions. But Osimhen offers a dual threat with his thirst for goals and aerial dominance, which could give them the edge in a potential title race.

Target available for £66m

Reports suggest that Chelsea will focus on strengthening their backline in 2025 after bringing in a number of high-profile attackers across the last three transfer windows.

Portuguese outlet O Jogo claim one of their main targets is Benfica defender Tomas Araujo, who earlier in December penned a new contract until June 2029 with the Lisbon outfit.

The 22-year-old committed his future to Benfica by signing a deal which contains a £65.9million (€80million) release clause written into it. However, Enzo Fernandez had a similar clause in his contract and still arrived at Stamford Bridge.

Araujo is rated as one of Europe’s top defensive talents and the towering centre-back recently made his international debut for Portugal in a UEFA Nations League fixture against Croatia.

Benfica would be reluctant to sell their prized asset, who came from the same academy as Blues star Joao Felix and Manchester City’s Ruben Dias. But his lower release clause could entice Chelsea to test their resolve if they follow up on their reported interest.

If there is one issue that may prevent Chelsea from keeping pace with Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City near the top of the table, it’s their tendency to concede sloppy goals and inability to keep clean sheets.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher recently suggested they would need at least three signings – “a goalkeeper and two centre-backs” – to put them into title contention. Signing a player with world-class potential in Araujo, who can shore up their porous defence, would represent a serious statement of intent.

Three outcasts axed

While the likes of Neto and Veiga have proved to be smart acquisitions under Maresca, one of his Leicester apprentices, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, has struggled to make the grade at Stamford Bridge.

The 26-year-old arrived in a £30m deal from the Foxes in July, following his former boss to the capital after helping him win the Championship title.

However, Dewsbury-Hall hasn’t been able to hold down a regular role at Chelsea and is yet to make a Premier League start, with his minutes largely coming in the Carabao Cup and UEFA Conference League.

With interest emerging from Leicester, Newcastle and Tottenham, the attacking midfielder is poised to depart after a miserable six-month spell and a loan move looks the most likely option.

Another player currently out of favour is Carney Chukwuemeka. The 22-year-old has managed just 130 minutes of game time across all competitions and his 67-minute display in the 3-1 win over Astana was the most minutes he has been given this term.

Despite that, Chelsea have reportedly slapped a £45m asking price above the Aston Villa trainee’s head. AC Milan are thought to be leading the race for his signature, although the Italians may baulk at such an inflated price considering his squad status.

And January cannot come soon enough for Ben Chilwell, the forgotten fan favourite who has been brutally cast aside after failing to secure a move away in the summer.

The 21-cap England international’s solitary appearance came in the 5-0 win over Barrow in the Carabao Cup and he will almost certainly leave after more than four years at the club. Arsenal have been linked with a shock move for the left-back, while Manchester United may be keen on launching a cut-price move for the Champions League winner.

Not only could the trio’s exit reduce the size of Maresca’s bloated squad, it may free up around £20mn the wage bill and a lot more in transfer fees to use elsewhere.