Chelsea set to cut the deadwood! Two out-of-favour Blues stars set to be offered Premier League escape route

Carney Chukwuemeka and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall are the men who may both be deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge, with head coach Enzo Maresca already admitting they could depart in January. Both players are of interest to the Hammers, who want to reinforce their midfield.

Dewsbury-Hall, 26, followed Maresca from Leicester City to the West London club this summer. However, other than making six Conference League appearances, he has struggled to break into the starting line-up and his manager has said he won't stand in his way if he wants to leave already.

Meanwhile, Chukwuemeka - who joined the Blues from Aston Villa in the summer of 2022 - has scarcely been used by Maresca, making just five appearances and clocking only 130 minutes on the pitch so far this season.

Per The Telegraph, West Ham are in search of a quality central midfielder as they look to bolster their squad in the January transfer window after a poor start to their Premier League campaign. The Hammers have kept the out-of-favour Chelsea midfield duo on their shortlist and could approach their London rivals soon.

Maresca's side kicked off the New Year with a 1-1 draw against Crystal Palace at the weekend. They will be next seen in action on Saturday as they take on Morecambe in an FA Cup third-round clash at home.