Chelsea return to Premier League action on Saturday when they travel to face Everton.
The Blues were knocked out of the Champions League at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, with the reigning champions cruising to a 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge to take the aggregate scoreline to 8-2.
Liam Rosenior is under increasing pressure to turn his side’s fortunes around, with the west London outfit having won just one of their last five Premier League games.
The Blues now sit sixth in the top flight table and are three points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa in the race to finish in the top four and qualify for next season’s Champions League.
In the wake of their defeat against PSG, it has emerged that Chelsea are preparing for the possible exit of one of their most influential players.
As per CaughtOffside, Chelsea are considering three possible targets as potential replacements for midfielder Enzo Fernandez.
The Argentine joined Chelsea from Portuguese side Benfica in 2023 for a fee of around £107 million, making him the most expensive signing in British football history at the time.
Fernandez faces an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge (Photo: Sportimage Ltd/Alamy)
After a relatively slow start to his career in England, the Argentina international has been in fine form over the past couple of seasons and has built a reputation as one of the best in the Premier League in his position.
Fernandez has made 160 appearances for the club – including 45 so far this term – but the report suggests that the player’s future has been a subject of discussion for some time now with an exit this summer a genuine possibility.
If the midfielder is to depart, the report claims that the Blues have identified Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson as their top target to replace him.
Chelsea will likely face competition from both Manchester City and Manchester United in the race to land the player, though, and those in charge of the London side’s recruitment are therefore exploring alternatives.
AZ Alkmaar’s Kees Smit and Wolves star Mateus Mane are named as other possible targets for the Blues.