{"id":18969,"date":"2026-01-01T10:31:33","date_gmt":"2026-01-01T10:31:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/01\/chelsea-manager-next-messi-signs-38m-deal-agrees-return-soccer-sports\/"},"modified":"2026-01-01T10:31:33","modified_gmt":"2026-01-01T10:31:33","slug":"chelsea-manager-next-messi-signs-38m-deal-agrees-return-soccer-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/01\/chelsea-manager-next-messi-signs-38m-deal-agrees-return-soccer-sports\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea manager: &#8216;Next Messi&#8217; signs \u00a338m deal, agrees return | Soccer | Sports"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Predicting Chelsea&#8217;s moves in the transfer market can be a dangerous job. As it stands, the Blues may be on the brink of being sung as they compete for success on a number of fronts heading into 2026. Enzo Maresca&#8217;s side have had a modest but consistent first half of the season, and although they appear to be out of contention for the title, they do have a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.<\/p>\n<p>Injuries and some lackluster performances have exposed the team&#8217;s shortcomings, which will need to be addressed both in the current transfer window and in the summer transfer window. Express Sport takes a look at how things would ideally unfold for the Blues over the next month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;Next Messi&#8221; sign<\/p>\n<p>When a talented teenager starts making headlines, Chelsea often hangs around. And a player who has been compared to Lionel Messi is reportedly attracting the Blues&#8217; attention.<\/p>\n<p>Konstantinos Karetsas, 18, was born in Belgium but recently pledged his international football allegiance to his parents&#8217; homeland, Greece. The youngster is currently playing for Genk and it seems only a matter of time before he is scouted by one of Europe&#8217;s top clubs.<\/p>\n<p>Arsenal were reportedly on the verge of signing him for \u00a338m this summer, but the deal fell through, paving the way for Chelsea, who are known for their ability to poach top talent from Belgian football. Signing this thrilling attacking midfielder in January or the summer would certainly send a strong message.<\/p>\n<p>The cult hero set is back<\/p>\n<p>Antonio Rudiger, 32, could be set to return to Stamford Bridge in the summer as his future at Real Madrid remains in doubt. The German centre-back, who won the Champions League with the Blues in 2021, is out of contract this summer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>Several clubs are reportedly interested, including Chelsea. Spanish publication AS reported that Rudiger is being monitored by Galatasaray, Paris Saint-Germain and a number of clubs in the Saudi professional league.<\/p>\n<p>However, a return to Stamford Bridge would be attractive given that he was highly rated by Chelsea fans before moving to Madrid in 2022. His experience and attitude could strengthen a defense that has been shaky at times.<\/p>\n<p>The pound situation is expected to be sorted out.<\/p>\n<p>The impasse over the Raheem Sterling situation is detrimental to both player and club and needs to be addressed quickly. It is understandable that a player earning \u00a3325,000 a week would not want to move on, but something needs to change if he is to revive a career that has not only hit a roadblock but is actually going backwards.<\/p>\n<p>Ideally, both sides should work together to come up with a compromise, whether that means terminating the contract or facilitating a transfer or loan move.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/sport\/football\/2152146\/Chelsea-transfer-news-Karetsas-January\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Predicting Chelsea&#8217;s moves in the transfer market can be a dangerous job. As it stands, the Blues may be on the brink of being sung as they compete for success on a number of fronts heading into 2026. Enzo Maresca&#8217;s side have had a modest but consistent first half of the season, and although they<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18970,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18969","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-matches"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Chelsea manager: &#039;Next Messi&#039; signs \u00a338m deal, agrees return | Soccer | Sports - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/01\/chelsea-manager-next-messi-signs-38m-deal-agrees-return-soccer-sports\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chelsea manager: &#039;Next Messi&#039; signs \u00a338m deal, agrees return | Soccer | Sports - EPL VIP \u2013 Latest English Premier League News &amp; Updates\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Predicting Chelsea&#8217;s moves in the transfer market can be a dangerous job. 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