Judging from the recent rumours that have cropped up around Chelsea, it does look like the midfield is an area where they are looking to strengthen. That is curious considering they have options like Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Andrey Santos, Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo in that area of the pitch.
Lavia continues to deal with constant injury problems though, having made only 23 appearances since arriving in the summer of 2023. Essugo has had to undergo surgery and is set to be out for the rest of the year before playing a competitive game for Chelsea. And there are some question marks around Fernandez's suitability in this team.
Over the last few days, Chelsea have been linked with Eduardo Camavinga of Real Madrid and Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace. Now, it looks like another name has been added to that quickly growing list.
As reported by Fichajes, Chelsea have set their sights on Mikel Jauregizar. The Blues plan to begin talks with the Spaniard in the upcoming summer transfer window. The intention is to explore his willingness to make the jump to the Premier League, in addition to negotiating with Athletic Club for a player whose contract expires in 2031.
Chelsea planning talks to sign Athletic Bilbao midfielder
Jauregizar is 21 years of age. He has made 63 appearances for Athletic Bilbao so far and has managed to establish himself as a starter for the club.
The issue is that he has a contract until the summer of 2031. So, Athletic Bilbao are under no pressure to sanction an exit anytime soon and Chelsea will need to make an offer that they can't refuse.
So, it remains to be seen if this speculation leads anywhere of note. But it does feel like there are easier deals to pull off for Chelsea out there as well as bigger names, although that has rarely stopped them.