Chelsea will once again have Calum MacFarlane in charge when they visit Fulham for the west London derby on Wednesday night.
The 40-year-old guided the Blues to a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at The Etihad on Sunday, just days after head coach Enzo Maresca had departed the club.
The west London giants have since appointed Liam Rosenior – formerly of sister club Strasbourg – as their new head coach, but MacFarlane will be in the dugout for the trip to Craven Cottage with the new head coach set to be in the stands.
With Rosenior taking charge during the January transfer window, talk is already turning to what the Englishman might look to do while the market remains open.
With that in mind, it is emerging that Chelsea are interested in two of Europe’s most talented attacking players.
According to Fichajes, via CaughtOffside, the Blues have identified AC Milan star Rafael Leao and Barcelona winger Fermin Lopez as potential transfer targets.
The report claims that the duo would likely cost in the region of £130 million if the Blues were able to finalise deals, although it remains to be seen how likely that is.
Lopez has been impressive for Barcelona so far this term (Photo: PressInPhoto Sports Agency/Alamy)
Lopez, 22, is a product of Barcelona’s youth system and has now made more than 100 appearances for the club across all competitions, scoring 26 goals and registering 17 assists.
Leao, meanwhile, has established himself as one of the best attacking players in Europe since joining Milan from French side Lille back in 2019.
In total he has played 273 times for the Italian outfit across all competitions, scoring 77 goals and providing 63 assists.
Chelsea’s interest in the duo comes despite the London giants recruiting heavily in attack during last summer’s transfer window, with the likes of Joao Pedro, Alejandro Garnacho and Liam Delap all arriving at Stamford Bridge prior to the start of this season.