Chelsea Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Arda Turan and Michael Essien

Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan has sparked rumours he could be set for a move to Chelsea by reportedly buying a house in London, close to Stamford Bridge.

Turkish-Football (via Sport), citing a source close to the player, revealed the property purchase near the Blues' stadium.

Turan has been linked with Chelsea before, both ahead of his move to Barca when he was at Atletico Madrid and last summer after he had endured a troublesome debut season with the Blaugrana, per Sport.

The 30-year-old Turkey international has even reportedly begun talks with the Blues and recently met with club officials, per Fotomac (via Sport).

Club	Season	Appearances (as a sub)	Mins	Goals	Assists
Barcelona	2016-17	12(4)	1,096	3	3
Barcelona	2015-16	9(9)	816	2	3
Atletico Madrid	2014-15	28(4)	2,347	2	4
Atletico Madrid	2013-14	22(8)	1,932	3	4
Atletico Madrid	2012-13	26(6)	2,175	5	4
Atletico Madrid	2011-12	24(9)	2,167	3	6

As noted in Sport's report, the purchase of a house in London could "just be an investment," and Barca manager Luis Enrique is keen to keep him at the Camp Nou.

However, while he has netted three goals and provided three assists for Barca in La Liga this season, he is not a guaranteed first-team player and has started only 12 of the club's 22 league games in 2016-17, per WhoScored.com.

Given the right offer it seems possible Barca could be open to letting him go, and his versatility would make him a fine addition at Chelsea.

The Premier League leaders' squad looks to be almost perfect, but Chelsea are set to return to the UEFA Champions League next season so will need greater depth. 

A player like Turan, who can play on either flank or through the middle, could be a valuable asset, and he is also very experienced having won league titles at both Atleti and Barca.

Michael Regan/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Chelsea legend Michael Essien looks set for a move to HNK Rijeka following his recent brief spell training with the Blues.

According to sportarena (via Metro's Mark Brus), 34-year-old Essien is in talks with the Croatian club—currently topping their domestic league—as Rijeka are eager to add experience to their squad.

Per Brus, Essien has been at Stamford Bridge a lot lately after leaving Panathinaikos, but it "never looked likely" that he would rejoin the club.

Seemingly, though, he is closing in on joining a new club and still going strong over a decade on from his first Premier League win with the Blues.