- Badiashile linked with Chelsea
- £31m fee reported
- Potter refuses to comment
WHAT HAPPENED? The Blues coach tried to keep any negotiations between his club and Monaco private ahead of what could be a busy January transfer window. Chelsea have already confirmed the addition of striker David Datro Fofana, are reportedly in for Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez and could sell Jorginho to Newcastle.
WHAT THEY SAID: "My answer is I don’t speak about anyone that isn’t a Chelsea player," Potter said when asked about the defender. "There are lots of people who get linked to this club and I’d be wasting your time and mine if I responded to every one.
"I always say the club’s responsibility is to try to improve the team but my job is to try to improve the players we have here and the team. That’s what I’ll be focused on."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Chelsea have shown they will spare no expense to improve their squad - though their massive summer moves, including the additions of Raheem Sterling and Marc Cucurella, did little to move the needle as they are currently outside the Champions League qualification places. After narrowly missing out on Jules Kounde in the last window, they appear keen to bring in a different up-and-coming centre-back, with 21-year-old Badiashile now the subject of interest.
Meanwhile, losing defenders Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger for free last summer has proven costly for the Blues.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA? If Potter is unhappy with transfer questions now, he'll be fuming when the January transfer window actually opens as life in charge of Chelsea comes with constant speculation about market manoeuvres.