Chelsea weigh up Enzo Fernandez or Alexis Mac Allister swoop, may hijack Mykhailo Mudryk transfer – reports

Chelsea could sign Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Alexis Mac Allister if they cannot afford Benfica’s Enzo Fernandez, and may attempt to sign Mykhailo Mudryk, according to reports.

The Premier League club are making plans for their first transfer window with Graham Potter in charge and Todd Boehly appears ready to splash out for a second consecutive transfer window after an expensive summer that brought in players such as Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling.

That window was during Thomas Tuchel’s tenure, and the German has since departed.

The first is Benfica midfielder Fernandez, who triumphed with Argentina in Qatar earlier this month. The 21-year-old has a £106 million release clause, and the Portuguese club are not interested in doing business in January so it is likely that the full amount will have to be offered to complete a deal, with the player keen to move. If a deal cannot be agreed for January then Chelsea may return in the summer, though could also target Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham. N’Golo Kante and Jorginho may yet sign fresh terms to extend their stays beyond the summer.

However, Chelsea are reluctant to meet the asking price and have considered Mac Allister, Fernandez’s 24-year-old international team-mate.

Mac Allister has a contract that runs until 2025, and could cost less than Fernandez which may see Chelsea prioritise his signature if it becomes more feasible. Potter managed at Brighton last year.

Chelsea are also looking beyond their midfield for reinforcements. One possibility is that they hijack a transfer for Mudryk of Shakhtar Donetsk after Arsenal’s £55m bid was reportedly rejected earlier this week. With Armando Broja out injured for the rest of the season and RB Leipzig’s Christopher Nkunku likely to arrive in the summer, there is a shortage in the squad of attackers.

The club are also said to be close to signing Monaco’s central defender Benoit Badiashile.

Chelsea’s next fixture is on January 1 when they host Nottingham Forest. They are currently in eighth place in the Premier League table, level with Potter’s former club Brighton, who sit seventh.