Chelsea eyeing surprise move for €60 million-rated Premier League ace

Chelsea are looking to improve their squad during the January transfer window and they have identified the Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha as a target.

A report from Fichajes claims that Mauricio Pochettino has set his sights on the Portuguese midfielder and it remains to be seen whether they can agree on a deal with their London rivals.

As per the report, the midfielder could cost around €60 million and Chelsea certainly have the finances to get the deal done.

The 28-year-old midfielder has been outstanding for Fulham since moving to the Premier League and he should prove to be a quality acquisition for Chelsea. However, the Blues already have players like Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia at their disposal. Signing another defensive midfielder would be quite surprising, especially when they have other needs.

Chelsea should look to invest in a creative midfielder and a striker. They have struggled to break down opposition defences and score goals consistently. In addition to that, they should look to bring in a quality central defender as well. The Blues have looked quite vulnerable defensively.

There is no doubt that Palhinha is good enough to play for any club in the league and he would certainly improve Chelsea. He will help protect the central defence and allow the creative players to operate with more freedom. However, his arrival would block the development of players like Lavia.

It remains to be seen whether the Blues follow up on their interest with a concrete proposal to sign the Portuguese international in the coming weeks.