Chelsea Transfer News: Latest on Kurt Zouma, Lionel Messi, Marco Reus Rumours

There are minimal concerns about Chelsea when it comes to the defensive side of the team, but according to reports, that solidity may be weakened as Internazionale swoop for Blues centre-back Kurt Zouma.

Italian paper Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t the Daily Telegraph) has claimed the Nerazzurri are keen on a loan move for the young defender, who has found first-team opportunities difficult to come by in the infancy of his Stamford Bridge career; however, as noted by the Daily Telegraph, talkSPORT reports the Blues are not willing to let the 20-year-old centre-back leave.

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Chelsea’s defensive steel has been a key feature of their excellent season, in which they sit proudly atop of the Premier League. So it’s easy to see why Zouma—who is undeniably talented but still a little wet behind the ears—has struggled to make much of an impression in the Premier League. 

However, he did start the recent clash against Newcastle United and admitted he learned a lot from the experience, per the Chelsea Twitter account:

With Gary Cahill suffering something of a dip in form, perhaps manager Jose Mourinho is set to give Zouma a run in the team. In any case, it seems that behind Cahill and John Terry, the Frenchman is third choice in the centre-back pecking order, and subsequently, it’s very unlikely the club will release him from Stamford Bridge—even on a temporary basis.

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Another deal that looks even more unlikely is a Chelsea move for Lionel Messi. Reports have continued to pop up about the Blues making an astonishing swoop for the Barcelona man, per James Dickenson of the Daily Express, but various figures associated with the Catalan club have again affirmed a desire to keep hold of their star player.

The first is Blaugrana boss Luis Enrique who, despite murmurings of a fallout between the pair, has insisted that Messi will be donning the iconic Barcelona jersey for many years to come, per Marca: "We all think that Leo Messi is going to be here for many years to come. That's what all of us at Barça want. We're not even considering the future without him. ... We're ignoring all the rumours and looking for the best possible atmosphere. That's what we're looking for and that's what we have in there."

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Enrique’s defiant response was given further credence by the club’s president Josep Maria Bartomeu. Speaking with Catalunya Radio (h/t Moises Llorens of AS), he revealed that the genial forward is intent on staying at the Camp Nou for the rest of his playing days:

"

There will not be another player like him. He told me that he wants to end his career at Barça and his commitment and willingness are the maximum. There is no debate about his future, he already said that he wanted to stay and he has a contract here. Additionally, here he has some great team-mates to [help him] to win.

"

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Indeed, any pursuit of Messi was always going to be unlikely from a Chelsea perspective. Blues assistant boss Steve Holland previously deemed any deal "impossible," per Liam Corless of the Daily Mirror, and given Barca’s perpetual insistence that he’s going nowhere, this is a rumour that should be filed away for the time being.

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With that in mind, the Blues may look at other options to bolster their squad; Bleacher Report’s Alex Dimond looks at some other potential candidates:

One story that will remain prominent throughout January and indeed for the rest of the campaign is the future of Marco Reus. Encouragingly for Chelsea, as noted Simon Johnson of the London Evening Standard, the Blues have been given a boost in their pursuit of the forward after Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke admitted the player could leave the Westfalenstadion: "I can understand Marco. He first wants to play again and then he wants to see which direction to take. I have a legitimate hope that he will stay for the long term. If not, it is something we will have to accept."

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Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe takes a look at why Reus would be an exceptional acquisition:

For Chelsea, to sign an attacking player of this calibre would be a major boost. Reus would give this Blues' attacking lineup a refreshingly direct edge, and his range of desirable attributes could only enhance the skills of men like Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. 

As note by Dimond, with Dortmund in a really poor position in the Bundesliga at this juncture, a sale in January looks unlikely. But if Mourinho can somehow lure Reus to Stamford Bridge in the summer for a fee of £20 million—as reported by Johnson—it could prove to be one of the finest acquisitions he has made in his two spells as Chelsea manager.