Chelsea’s search for a central midfielder has fuelled plenty of transfer rumours since the close of the summer window. Marcelo Brozovic, Milan Badelj and Marco Verratti have all been mentioned in connection with the West London club, with no real evidence that moves have been made for the players.
Another possibility emerging more recently is former Stoke enforcer Steven N’Zonzi, now playing at Sevilla. The midfielder was quoted in the Sun last month as saying it was “nice” to be linked with the Blues, which certainly did nothing to dispel the rumours.
With his height and power in midfielder, the Frenchman would seem a perfect replacement for Nemanja Matic, who has just picked up an injury. The fact that Chelsea had to play Cesc Fabregas in his stead at the weekend will tell you that the Blues need a more like-for-like replacement.
Unfortunately, it seems as though Juventus have taken the lead in the chase for N’Zonzi. Italian transfer site Calcio Mercato are discussing the deal as if it is already done. Chelsea now face the unappealing choice of trying to highjack the deal by outbidding the Turin club, or moving on to a new target.