football transfer news chelsea

Jose Mourinho will return to Chelsea on Tuesday when his Benfica side visit Stamford Bridge in the Champions League.

The 62-year-old recently returned to the Portuguese side after being sacked by Turkish outfit Fenerbahce, and the Super Lig club visit Chelsea in round two of the Champions League group phase.

Mourinho won eight trophies including three Premier League titles across two spells with the West London club, before going on to manage rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Enzo Maresca’s side are in need of points if they are to progress from the group phase, with the Blues having slumped to a disappointing 3-1 defeat against Bayern Munich in the opening round of matches earlier this month.

Chelsea have also lost their last two Premier League games, most recently against Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.

In the wake of the match, it has emerged that the London giants are eyeing a January move for a new defender.

As per Football Insider, Chelsea are hoping to sign a new central defender during the mid-season window.

The report claims that both those in charge of the West London outfit and Maresca himself believe that strengthening in that position is now a priority.

Chelsea were dealt a setback prior to the start of the season with centre-back Levi Colwill ruled out for the majority of the campaign due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

Both Wesley Fofana and Tosin Adarabioyo have suffered injury concerns of their own in recent weeks, with the former also having missed much of last term.

Maresca’s defensive woes were compounded on Saturday when academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah was sent off against Brighton on Saturday.

It is claimed that Blues boss Maresca was keen to sign a central defender during the summer transfer window, although he has chosen to exclude Axel Disasi from the first team squad, with the Frenchman currently training alone.