Chelsea needed midfield reinforcements in the summer transfer window after letting Andrey Santos and Enzo Fernandez leave the club.
The Blues tried to sign Alex Scott, Lamine Camara, Granit Xhaka and Manu Kone, but have had to make do with underwhelming options.
Chelsea look light in the engine room and are expected to renew their efforts to sign one or two midfielders.
However, Roma plan to demand €100 million (around £86m) if Chelsea come back for Kone.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, they will ask for €100m for the French international star who has enjoyed a brilliant start to his 2026/27 campaign.
Chelsea should steer clear of Kone
It is unclear if Chelsea will be willing to commit such a sum to revamping their midfield. They reportedly baulked at Scott’s £80m price tag.
Chelsea have Valentin Barco and Jordan Henderson as midfield options. Romeo Lavia has stayed fit, while Reece James has been serviceable.
They should not entertain paying €100m for Kone when more sensible options are available.
The Blues should revisit the other targets they failed to land during the previous window and be smart with their funds.
Scott, Camara and Granit Xhaka are terrific options, and the club should focus on securing two of those three rather than blowing a huge chunk of their budget on Kone.
Chelsea need more quality and depth in midfield, but that doesn’t mean they should overpay for a player simply because he’s started the season well.
The Blues must spend intelligently and add two midfielders who can strengthen their squad without compromising their wider transfer plans.
