Chelsea are making a serious push to bring in two midfielders before the transfer window closes, according to a report by Sam Tabuteau of Standard Sport. The club are considering a bid for Lamine Camara, the 22-year-old Senegal international who has been one of Monaco’s most dependable presences this season.
Alongside that move, Chelsea Transfer News sources indicate the club are eyeing Alex Scott of Bournemouth. To fund the arrivals, the club expect Enzo Fernández and Dário Essugo to make way. That’s two out, two in, before Tuesday’s 11 pm deadline. Simple on paper. Wildly complicated in practice.
Chelsea transfer news: The case for and against this double deal
Start with the exits. Fernández, signed for a British record fee, has fallen completely out of favour under Xabi Alonso, who publicly noted the Argentine has lost his desire to play for the club. He sat out Chelsea’s opening two fixtures of the 2026/27 season, with Manchester City circling for a reunion. Keeping a disgruntled, high-earning player who clearly wants out would have corroded the dressing room.
The decision to offload him, regardless of the original fee paid, is the correct sporting call. Essugo’s situation is equally straightforward. The 21-year-old Portuguese midfielder managed just three substitute appearances last season after a lengthy thigh injury, totalling barely 30 top-flight minutes. He’s under contract until 2033, but Alonso can’t build on a player who simply hasn’t been fit enough to contribute.
The logic behind the arrivals is harder to argue against. Camara is not a glamorous, headline-grabbing signing. He is a disciplined, high-intensity defensive midfielder who registered 195 tackles and 347 ball regains last season, winning 6.71 ground duels per 90 minutes in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. At €60m, Monaco aren’t giving him away, but next to Moisés Caicedo he fills a specific structural gap that Alonso’s system has needed all along.
Chelsea transfer news: Scott is the complicated piece
Scott’s situation is genuinely messy. Bournemouth rejected a £64m Chelsea bid in July. Manager Marco Rose said he was 120% certain Scott wouldn’t leave. The 23-year-old England international made 37 Premier League appearances last season, created 27 chances, and won 180 ground duels.
Read: Chelsea in advanced talks to complete signing of £35m star defender
Bournemouth have every reason to dig in. Chasing him again in the final hours will trigger a panic premium that could push the fee well beyond what any rational assessment justifies. Chelsea’s board is right to pursue Alonso’s tactical demands aggressively, but cramming a double midfield pivot into the last hours of the window is a bet with very little margin for error.
