Chelsea transfer round-up as board "nervous" over spending and Haaland price tag

The January deadline is edging ever closer, but Chelsea are yet to delve into the transfer market for new signings.

After a flurry of activity last summer and an outlay of £220million, the Blues have had a quiet window which has seen no players arrive and only fringe players depart.

Young defender Juan Castillo and midfield misfit Danny Drinkwater have gone abroad on loan, while Charlie Brown and Lucas Piazon left in permanent transfers.

Meanwhile, Chelsea have endured a challenging month on the pitch and, simply put, Stamford Bridge chiefs will not be pleased to see the club eighth in the Premier League.

But there are doubts over whether more spending is the answer, while Frank Lampard is struggling to trim his squad.

All that and more in Friday's Chelsea transfer round-up.

Board "nervous and edgy" over more spending

Chelsea's board will be hugely reluctant to fund more spending in the January transfer window, according to former Blues striker Tony Cascarino.

Stamford Bridge chiefs sanctioned numerous big-money moves last summer for a combined total outlay of well over £200million.

But signings such as Kai Havertz and Timo Werner are yet to hit form after arriving in west London.

"It never goes down well when you spend loads of money on signings who don’t work out or are not playing well," Cascarino told talkSPORT .

"Upstairs will go, ‘we’ll give him more money and spend again’, but they get a little bit nervous and edgy about doing that.

"He [Frank Lampard] knows the job at Chelsea is full of criticism and it doesn’t take a lot for that owner to make a change."

Should Chelsea chiefs sanction more spending this season? Have your say in the comments.

Alonso's Stamford Bridge exit derailed

Marcos Alonso's move to Barcelona has been scuppered, as Junior Firpo is now likely to stay at Camp Nou, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Barca left-back Firpo had been heavily linked with a move to AC Milan, with local outlet Sempremilan claiming the Catalans had sounded out Chelsea outcast Alonso as a replacement.

But news that Firpo is expected to stay with Barcelona means Ronald Koeman will likely have no need of Alonso's services.

It will come as a blow to Frank Lampard as he tries to offload Alonso – who has made just three appearances this season – in January.

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Haaland's value on the up

Chelsea will need to cough up an eye-watering fee if they are to land Borussia Dortmund superstar Erling Haaland this summer, according to reports.

Haaland, 20, is believed to have a release clause set at £66.6million – but this will not come into force until 2022.

This means Chelsea will likely need to pay a premium if they are to swoop for the Norwegian striker this summer, as recent speculation claims they will.

And the Manchester Evening News cites a report which asserts Haaland's value has now ballooned by €40million (£35m) over the last year to reach €100million (£88.5m).

This sum is over £15million more than the £72million Chelsea paid for current record transfers Kai Havertz and Kepa Arrizabalaga.

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