Chelsea Transfer News: Isco and Koke Targeted by Jose Mourinho, Top Rumours

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho is reportedly eyeing Spanish midfield duo Koke and Isco as he prepares to strengthen in the January transfer window after a dreadful start to the new season.

According to Spanish outlet Sport (h/t talkSPORT), Mourinho is lining up a January move for Atletico Madrid's £40 million-rated Koke as he "has been left unimpressed with his creative players" so far in 2015-16.

Similarly, Spanish newspaper Marca (h/t Colin Harvey in the Daily Star) report that Mourinho was impressed by Real Madrid's Isco as he watched Spain beat Ukraine 1-0 on Monday in a Euro 2016 qualifier.

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The report indicated that Los Blancos president Florentino Perez is preparing for an enquiry about Isco from Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, and he could be willing to sell the 23-year-old playmaker for the right price. 

Mourinho's defending Premier League champions currently lie 16th in the English top flight after eight matches and a number of their star players have looked woefully short of form, per Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe:

The Blues will surely make significant moves in the January transfer window after failing to add real depth to their squad in the summer.

Koke would be a fantastic addition to the west London outfit. He is already vastly experienced at just 23 years old, and he has more than proven his creative ability over the last two seasons—he has provided 23 assists in Atelti's last two La Liga campaigns, per WhoScored.com. 

As an alternative to the under-performing likes of Eden Hazard and Oscar, the Spaniard could bring something extra to the Blues, but Atletico are unlikely to be willing to sell him in January.

Isco, though, could be persuaded away from the Bernabeu. He is not guaranteed a starting spot at Real as he has to compete with the likes of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, but he deserves to be a regular first-team player at a top club.

Blessed with intricate skill and fine distribution, Isco could provide Chelsea with an edge in attack that has been missing with Hazard out of form this season.

While the Blues have been stale in attack this term, they have had even bigger problems in defence, conceding a remarkable 17 goals in eight Premier League matches.

As a result, they have been linked with a January move for 21-year-old Paris St-Germain centre-back Marquinhos, but Barcelona have reportedly also entered the race to sign the Brazilian, per French outlet Le 10 Sport (h/t Jamie Anderson in the Daily Star).

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The report suggests the Blues will make a £36 million bid for Marquinhos in the new year, and he may be open to a move away from the Parc des Princes as he is currently struggling for a first-team spot behind David Luiz and Thiago Silva.

Chelsea undoubtedly need to strengthen in January if they are to have any chance of making the top four in this season's Premier League, let alone successfully defend their title.

While the likes of Marquinhos, Isco and Koke are all fine targets, there is no guarantee that Chelsea will snap any of them up and Mourinho will need to make sure he has alternative options to fall back on.