Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has January transfer plan in place

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has reportedly prioritised a January move for Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez, who was heavily linked with the Blues at the end of the summer transfer window. The west Londoners were the Premier League’s biggest spenders in the market, with Boehly splashing in excess of £270million on the club’s array of new signings prior to last week’s deadline.

Chelsea were said to have launched a late bid to land Alvarez in order to boost their midfield ranks but were unsuccessful in their attempts to bring him to Stamford Bridge. They are yet to be deterred by Ajax’s reluctance to sell, though, and will return to the table in January with a new and improved offer, according to the Evening Standard.

It is claimed that Chelsea submitted a deadline-day bid in the region of £40m, which was swiftly rejected out of hand by Ajax. However, Alvarez was thought to have been eager to join the Blues and reportedly skipped training on the morning in question in a desperate attempt to force through the move.

Chelsea also made a late approach for PSV Eindhoven midfielder Ibrahim Sangare but failed again before eventually securing the arrival of Juventus playmaker Denis Zakaria on a season-long loan deal. Alvarez is still understood to be Chelsea’s top target but they will now be forced to wait until at least January to snap him up, although it remains to be seen whether Ajax will be prepared to sell their prized asset in the middle of the season.

JUST IN: Reece James sets new Chelsea record as Blues ace signs long-term deal

Dinamo Moscow maestro Arsen Zakharyan has also emerged as a player of interest to Chelsea, who have already drawn up plans to move for the 19-year-old when the transfer window reopens at the turn of the year. He was tracked by the Blues over the summer but it was decided that a deal would have been a step too far due to the current sanctions from the west on Russia.

Alvarez, meanwhile, has already been warned against pushing for a move to Chelsea by former Ajax star Andy Van der Meyde. The 42-year-old believes that Alvarez was only targeted by the two-time European champions as a last resort after failing to land Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong earlier in the summer window.

DON’T MISS

“For a player, it’s not because they really have confidence in you, otherwise they would have knocked on your door sooner,” Van der Meyde told Veronica Offside, as reported by Voetbal 4U, when quizzed on Chelsea’s interest in Alvarez.

“Now they want to make a panic purchase and he wants to leave Ajax straight away. Then he must realise they just want me because they have nothing else.”

Want the latest Premier League news as we publish it on Express Sport? Join our Facebook group by clicking here