Chelsea make contact with Wijnaldum as January plans gather pace

The headline from the Premier League transfer chatter comes from Chelsea. According to BBC Sport, the Chelsea have made contact with Georginio Wijnaldum (35) to explore a possible free transfer move. The former Liverpool midfielder left Al-Ettifaq earlier this summer, and the club’s approach is framed as an early step in gauging whether a deal can be done.

Wijnaldum avenue opens up

If the discussions progress, this would fit a common Chelsea strategy: add experience in midfield without paying a fee, particularly when the market is tough to navigate. As BBC Sport stresses, this is contact and assessment rather than a confirmed agreement.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are linked with a different kind of move. As reported by BBC Sport, the Gunners will consider a move in January for Bournemouth’s 20-year-old French striker Eli Junior Kroupi.

Arsenal eyes January move

The same report also points out that Everton are not planning to go after players currently available on a free transfer, even though their business at the end of the window didn’t go as smoothly as they wanted.

Overall, the thread running through the gossip is that several clubs are using the post-deadline period to plan ahead for winter—looking either for low-cost options like free agents or for targets that are more realistic once January arrives, as BBC Sport puts it.