Chelsea are rumoured to be pretty busy this January. Now that they are free from the shackles of their transfer ban, they have been linked with a number of different players, while several current stars have also been tipped to leave.
Frank Lampard's side are yet to do any business, but there are plenty of potential deals reported to be in the works.
Speaking ahead of his side's meeting with Burnley (via the club's official website), the boss took the chance to speak about some of them.
Can You Rule Out an Exit for Andreas Christensen?
Centre-back Andreas Christensen has been tipped to join AC Milan after failing to hold down a place in Lampard's side this season.
"I can rule that out," Lampard said. "I like Andreas as a player, I used to train with him and saw the talent coming through and I want him to be the best that he can be. You see the height, the athleticism and the quality on the ball, particularly his choice of pass, and I want him to be all the things he can be.
"The reality is we have competition at centre-back so most weeks two of them won’t be that happy, one particularly not happy, but as with all the players I want to work on parts of their game that I think they can improve.
"Against Aston Villa, I thought he was immense and then sometimes if we are coming up against teams who are physical then Andreas really has to stand up to that and I don’t mind saying that. He knows that and needs to know that but those little bits in his game can really make him the fantastic centre-half that I think he can be."
Are Chelsea Close to Signing Moussa Dembélé?
Lyon striker Moussa Dembélé is thought to be on Chelsea's radar this month, with some reports even suggesting the Blues had agreed personal terms with the Frenchman.
"He’s a player I know and the club know but I’m surprised to see his name pop up so regularly when it’s not popping up in my conversations so regularly. There’s quite a few players in the last week that I could say the same about.
"We’re looking to strengthen in high areas and with goalscorers because it’s where we’ve been found pretty short in home games recently but they’re hard to find and I’ll only want to go that way if we know we’re improving the squad that we have already.
"Nothing is close at the moment, we’re not imminent and there won’t be any big news today or tomorrow."
Will Olivier Giroud Be Leaving?
Olivier Giroud is another of those who has played a small role this year, and he is thought to be wanted by a number of sides across Europe.
"I said it after our last game, the situation is that if it’s right for everybody – and first and foremost, that’s us the club because he’s under contract – then we’ll look at whether he can leave. He’s been a great professional here but we still have to make a decision for the football club and nothing’s done yet.
"Everyone is talking about it so I’m not going to beat around the bush. His agent has spoken to the club but until we decide it’s the right thing then of course it’s not done."
Will Christian Pulisic Be Fit for Burnley?
Winger Christian Pulisic was completely omitted from the matchday squad to face Nottingham Forest last time out after picking up an injury, and he is yet to return to training.
"Christian is out for a few weeks. He was injured in training last Saturday before Nottingham Forest. It’s a tendon injury in the adductor so we’ll have to see how quickly he recovers because it’s quite a nasty injury and he was in pain when it happened."
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Source : 90min