Chelsea targeting club captain from Premier League rivals, as Blues move away from transfer policy: report

 Mauricio Pochettino, Manager of Chelsea, looks on prior to the Premier League match between Manchester United and Chelsea FC at Old Trafford on December 06, 2023 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Chelsea will look to raid a rival Premier League side in January for their club captain, in order to turn their fortunes around.

The Blues currently sit 10th in the Premier League table, 17 points off of leaders Arsenal despite having spent over £1bn on new players in the last three transfer windows.

Inconsistent performances and a lack of squad harmony on the pitch has angered Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino, but it seems like the Argentine is finally going to be granted his wish of more experience in his squad in the upcoming window. 

Thiago Silva of Chelsea on the ball during the Premier League match between Chelsea FC and Nottingham Forest at Stamford Bridge on September 2, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by MB Media/Getty Images)

Chelsea are in the market for a new centre-back this window (Image credit: Getty Images)

According to Chelsea writer Si Phillips, the Blues want to sign Max Kilman from Wolves in January, with a reported £35m fee needed to prise the Englishman away from the Molineux.

Made club captain at Wolves by Gary O'Neil following the summer departure of Ruben Neves, Kilman has played every single minute in the Premier League so far this term as he leads with authority and strong defensive displays. 

Just three points behind Chelsea, Wolves have accumulated 19 points from 17 games this season. Though not a strong points tally, things could arguably have been a lot worse if it wasn't for Kilman marshalling the backline as captain.

Chelsea target Max Kilman of Wolverhampton Wanderers during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley FC at Molineux on December 05, 2023 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

Kilman has captained Wolves this season (Image credit: Getty Images)

And Chelsea owners Toddy Boehly and Clearlake Capital are willing to renege on their initial transfer policy of only signing players under the age of 25 on long-term contracts, with Kilman 26-years-old and an experienced Premier League player. 

In total the England futsal international has made more than 100 appearances for Wolves in England's top flight, and could be what Chelsea are currently lacking in defence. 

Thiago Silva is 39 and coming to the end of his career, while Axel Disasi has already been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, despite only signing in the summer. Benoit Badiashille and Wesley Fofana have also suffered bad injuries, leaving the Blues short at centre-back - an issue Kilman could certainly solve.

Kilman's Wolves contract expires in June 2028, and is valued at £30m by Transfermarkt.

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Ryan Dabbs
Staff writer

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.