Chelsea consider shock swoop to sign Nottingham Forest loanee Douglas Luiz in January as Liam Rosenior eyes midfield reinforcements

According to The Athletic, Chelsea are weighing up whether to make a shock move in the winter market by signing Luiz on loan for the remainder of the 2025-26 season, despite struggling to make an impact at Forest.

The report claims Luiz, who missed the start of the season due to a hamstring injury, is seen as a good fit for what new manager Liam Rosenior is trying to build at Chelsea following his appointment earlier in the month.

Luiz joined Forest from Serie A giants Juventus in a loan deal which includes a conditional obligation to buy based on the number of appearances he makes, with the Premier League club also holding a £26 million (€30m/$35m) option to buy if he does not hit that number.

The former Aston Villa ace has only made two league starts for Forest since manager Sean Dyche replaced Ange Postecoglou at the City Ground helm in October.

The news comes after Chelsea boss Rosenior revealed last week that he is in daily communication with the club’s co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart about potential new additions in January.

“I think if we do [sign a player], it needs to be the right player,” Rosenior told reporters. “We need to be patient. I want to assess this group. It's really, really important to me.

“We still have time. We have conversations every day, myself and the board, about potential transfers, both out and in. But at the same time, I need to focus on the players in the building.

“If I feel it's the right time or the right player, then we'll make that decision.”

Chelsea have Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, Andrey Santos, Dario Essugo and Romeo Lavia as their current midfield options, though the latter two have struggled with injuries this season.

Meanwhile, Forest boss Dyche said last month that Luiz was “enjoying his time” at the club, despite his lack of first-team minutes.

“It’s down to him as much as us,” said the former Everton and Burnley boss, when quizzed on how Luiz can find his feet at the City Ground. “He knows that.

“He’s an experienced pro and he understands where he needs to be at to perform. He is a very good player, without a doubt - we have all seen that. He certainly seems to be enjoying his time here at the moment. Long may that continue.

“He’s another one who was very unlucky when we got here, being out with an injury. But he is a talented player. He is adapting to what we do, albeit he has had a spell out. But he seems to be - and he tells me he is - enjoying life here.

“He is a good player and we want him to play when he can do. But we have to make sure he’s right. He is still not quite there but he is getting there, that’s for sure.”

While it remains to be seen whether Chelsea follow through with their reported interest in Luiz, the west Londoners are hoping to make it four wins from Rosenior’s first five games in charge when they travel to out-of-form Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Sunday.

After Rosenior was named as Enzo Maresca’s replacement at the start of January, Chelsea have secured wins over Charlton Athletic, Brentford and Pafos in the FA Cup, Premier League and Champions League, with their only loss coming against Arsenal in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash.

Meanwhile, Palace - who are reeling from the departure of Marc Guehi to Manchester City - are winless in their last 10 games in all competitions under Oliver Glasner, who announced last week that he will leave the Eagles at the end of the season. Striker Jean-Philippe Mateta has also told the club he wants to leave before the end of the month.