Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Miranda, Koke, Gerard Pique, Anderson Talisca

Chelsea look set to miss out on Atletico Madrid centre-back Miranda after the Brazilian insisted he is happy at the La Liga champions.

The Blues have long been reported to be interested in Miranda, per Simon Jones in the Daily Mail, as John Terry is now 33 years old and Chelsea lack real depth in the centre of defence. 

However, the 30-year-old Miranda looks set to stay in Madrid until the end of his contract, as he recently denied other transfer reports which linked him with Manchester United, per Ozgur Sancar in AS:

"I know nothing about it, I only know that I want to finish my contract at Atletico. It’s my club, I still have two years left and I am very happy at Atletico." 

It is unsurprising that plenty of rumours are linking him with a January move to the Premier League, as he was one of the cornerstones of Atleti's success last season, per Spanish football writer Sergi Dominguez:

Despite the staunchness of their defence, Chelsea's centre-back pairing of Terry and Gary Cahill needs to be supplemented, especially when considering the number of matches they are set to play as they fight on both domestic and European fronts.

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Miranda no longer seems to be a transfer option for Chelsea and neither does Barcelona's Gerard Pique—rumoured as a Blues target per Alex Harris in the Daily Star—after the former United man pledged to stay at the Camp Nou despite recently being dropped by boss Luis Enrique, per Movistar TV (h/t Marca).

"I don't think it would make sense to want out because of not playing two or three games," he said in an interview. "Barcelona are my life and I'm not considering leaving. I'm going to keep fighting for a place in the team."

A long-term injury to either Terry or Cahill would hit Chelsea hard, and they need to consider a new central defensive signing in January.

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Indeed, it is a position that needs to be strengthened more urgently than their fine central midfield, and Atletico's Koke, though a Chelsea target, is currently a low priority, per Sport: "Chelsea are also interested in the Atleti midfielder. But Jose Mourinho's current midfield of Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic means that signing Koke is not a priority at this moment in time."

Fabregas and Matic have been central to Chelsea's terrific season so far, which sees Jose Mourinho's side four points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

The 22-year-old Koke would not be guaranteed a starting spot at Stamford Bridge, despite his obvious versatility and skill which has seen the Spaniard provide seven assists in 11 La Liga games already this season, per WhoScored.

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Manchester City are reportedly set to offer Atleti the £48 million release clause for Koke, per Samuel Luckhurst in the Manchester Evening News, and Chelsea may well decide he is not worth fighting for given their current strength.

However, Mourinho is reportedly interested in another midfielder of a slightly more attacking nature: Anderson Talisca of Benfica. 

The 20-year-old Brazilian has scored eight goals in 10 league appearances so far this season, per WhoScored, and is reportedly a target for Arsenal, Liverpool, United and Chelsea. His international team-mate and Blues player Oscar recently talked him up prior to Brazil's friendly game with Austria on Tuesday, per O Jogo (h/t London 24's Nick Wright):

"Talisca is tall and left-footed like Rivaldo, so comparisons are normal. I haven’t followed him much at Benfica, but he has great quality. We are happy that he is with our group."

Talisca could well be a fine investment for Chelsea considering his youth and obvious talent, and his signing would likely not break the bank.

But the priority for the Blues and Mourinho should be strengthening the back four, specifically at centre back, as they are just one long-term injury away from a problem.