Chelsea boss Sarri targeting January move for Napoli defender Elseid Hysaj

The Blues from West London are not having the best of times currently. Tottenham Hotspurs handed the Sarri-ball its first defeat of the season, and just a game after it, Chelsea bowed down again. Wolverhampton edged past Chelsea 2-1 mid-week citing concerns with the squad. And reports have emerged that former Napoli boss is looking to his ex-player Elseid Hysaj, to strengthen his current Chelsea squad.

Speaking to Radio Crc about the reported interest from Chelsea, Hysaj’s agent Mario Giuffredi said Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri is a big fan of his client, with the pair having worked together previously at Napoli:

“I can’t rule out resuming negotiations with Chelsea in January. We know there was contact in the summer because Sarri wanted him, and we also know that [Davide] Zappacosta is not to the liking of the coach. We’ll see how it goes; anything could happen. The coach [Carlo Ancelotti] really rates the player; he hasn’t played as much in the Champions League for purely tactical reasons. Ancelotti is a great coach because he knows how to adapt the formation or tactical approach based on the opponent. Now that there’s some rotation it’s not correct to say Hysaj has lost his place. It only seems anomalous because in recent seasons he always played.”

Chelsea are more than happy with their current right-back Cesar Azpilicueta, even signing a four-year contract extension with the Spaniard. Sarri has the out-of-favor Davide Zappacosta and Victor Moses at his disposal as well. While Zappacosta is a right-back, Moses shifted from his natural wing position to a wing-back to suit Antonio Conte’s style last season. Although the 24-year old Hysaj is a lucrative deal for the future, it would essentially mean two top players fighting for the same position. So it seems highly unlikely for Chelsea to shell out such funds for a secured position in January. Chelsea have lost two of their previous three Premier League games and face league leaders Manchester City this weekend.