Chelsea: £94m trio set for exit as Romano confirms deal for Ligue 1 midfielder ‘being completed’

Will Ford
Chelsea duo Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku celebrate a goal
Chelsea duo Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku celebrate a goal

Chelsea are ‘closing in’ on the signing of Mathis Amougou from St Etienne as three players look set to leave the club on loan.

The Clearlake-led Blues have been uncharacteristically quiet in the January transfer window so far, with no players arriving and Cesare Casadei the only departure, with the young Italian joining Torino for around £10m.

Manchester United stars Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho were on the club’s radar earlier in the window but the trail has gone cold towards the end of the window, while they were also keen on Bayern Munich’s Mathys Tel, but he’s opted for Tottenham on a straight loan from the Bundesliga giants.

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A number of Chelsea players have been angling for the exit in search of more consistent game time, and while Christopher Nkunku looks set to stay having knocked back interest from United, three players could still leave the club on deadline day.

Aston Villa reignited their interest Joao Felix having battled for his signing in the summer before Chelsea swooped to land him for £45m for Atletico Madrid.

But the Blues bosses blocked his move to Villa as they see the West Midlands club as direct rivals for Champions League qualification, so the Portuguese star looks set to join AC Milan on loan instead, as confirmed by Fabrizio Romano.

Romano said: ‘João Félix to AC Milan, here we go! Official bid accepted by Chelsea for straight loan with no buy option. Salary covered by AC Milan and package in excess of £5m with loan fee. João now set for AC Milan medical after his green light to the move last night.’

 

The transfer expert also revealed earlier in the day that Carney Chukwuekema – who received offers from West Ham and Everton – is off to Borussia Dortmund this month, with the Bundesliga side holding an option to sign him permanently at the end of the season.

Romano wrote on X: ‘Borussia Dortmund agree loan deal for Carney Chukwuemeka from Chelsea, here we go! Loan move and buy option clause included for value higher than £40m release clause. Salary covered until June and loan fee also included. Medical on Monday.’

And Ben Chilwell, who’s valued by Transfermarkt at £16m, is undergoing a medical at Crystal Palace ahead of a loan move having featured for just 45 minutes this season under Enzo Maresca as a member of the Chelsea Bomb Squad.

Meanwhile, the Chelsea recruitment team are also working on a new signing, with the club ‘closing in’ on 19-year-old midfielder Amougou.

Romano revealed the ‘deal is being completed’ for a fee of around £12.5m.

Amougou has played at Under-18 level for France and is rated as one of the country’s most exciting midfield prospects having already made 17 appearances for St Etienne having broken into the first team this season.

Whether Maresca will have Amougou to call upon for the rest of the season remains to be seen as the teenager could be loaned out to feeder club RC Strasbourg for the rest of the season.