Arsenal are reportedly keen to battle Everton for the signature of Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot
Carlo Ancelotti wants a reunion with Rabiot at Everton, while Mikel Arteta is also interested.
According to Sport Mediaset and Calciomercato.com, Everton have set their sights firmly on Rabiot as a January transfer window reinforcement.
New coach Ancelotti already worked with the France international at Paris Saint-Germain early in his career.
They are reportedly ready to offer €25m for Rabiot, who would represent a huge profit considering he was a free agent when he signed on from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer.
Arsenal are also tracking Rabiot, who has struggled badly in his initial adaptation to Serie A and life in Italy.
The 24-year-old had made 12 competitive appearances for Juventus, but has had issues both on and off the field.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has identified his players’ lack of ruthlessness in front of goal as a major source of worry after the London club dropped two points against Brighton on New Year’s Day, stating they were “lucky not to lose” at the Amex Stadium.
Cesar Azpilicueta’s goal after 10 minutes after Aaron Mooy had blocked Tammy Abraham’s initial effort appeared to have put the Blues on course for a third successive away Premier League victory following their wins at Tottenham and Arsenal over the festive period.
But Brighton came back into the game and piled on the pressure and were rewarded for their endeavours when Alireza Jahanbakhsh netted the equaliser with a spectacular overhead kick with six minutes remaining.
Lampard told BT Sport: “In the first half, the game was there to be won. We weren’t ruthless enough. We got the goal and we had the possession. But we just didn’t kill the game off.
“We allowed them to stay in the game. In the end it was a wonder goal but we were lucky not to lose the game.
“In the end, the tactics matched up for both teams but they were better than us. We have to take that on the chin.
“The lack of consistency is a concern. It’s something we absolutely have to look at.
“We have to look at the game today. It’s a point, I’m not happy with the performance.”
A spectacular overhead kick from Alireza Jahanbakhsh secured a 1-1 draw for Brighton & Hove Albion against Chelsea at Amex Stadium.
Cesar Azpilicueta opened the scoring on 10 minutes, reacting quickest and tapping home after Aaron Mooy had cleared Tammy Abraham’s strike off the line.
Jahanbakhsh produced a very early contender for the goal of the new decade with a brilliant overhead kick seven minutes from time, after captain Cesar Azpilicueta had given the visitors an early lead.
The Iranian’s stunner – his second Premier League goal in as many games – was no more than Albion deserved after they recovered well having gone behind inside ten minutes.
Kepa Arrizabalaga made good saves to deny Leandro Trossard and Aaron Connolly before the goal, and he produced an even better stop in the closing stages to keep out Neal Maupay’s drive.
Graham Potter had made two changes to the team which beat Bournemouth, with Adam Webster and Steven Alzate coming in for Shane Duffy and Jahanbakhsh, who were both on the bench.
Alzate had a chance in the sixth minute after good approach play by Trossard and Maupay created space for Alzate, whose volley from just inside the box was deflected wide.
But the visitors went in front after ten minutes. Albion failed to clear Willian’s corner on the right and after Aaron Mooy had made a goal-line clearance to deny Tammy Abraham, Azpilicueta marked his 100th Chelsea appearance with a tap-in.
With Azpilicueta and Reece James pushing on at every opportunity, Albion found it tough to get a grip, particularly in midfield, and they suffered another blow when James floored Dan Burn with a heavy challenge and the defender went off with his left arm in a sling. Bernardo replaced him.
Chelsea threatened again in the 28th minute when Abraham broke into the box, but with Willian unmarked to his right, the striker took on the shot and Webster managed to get in a crucial deflection which took it over the bar.
Midway through the half, Jahanbakhsh came on for Mooy and had a chance with 17 minutes to go when the ball broke for him on the edge of the box, but he failed to keep his right-foot effort on target
Albion went close again with 12 minutes left. Trossard’s free-kick from the corner of the box was flicked on to Connolly, who turned his marker only for Arrizabalaga to spring to his right to push away the Irishman’s volley.
But the equaliser they deserved arrived in the 83rd minute. Dunk’s header inside the box was met with a spectacular overhead kick by Jahanbakhsh, which flew into the bottom right-hand corner.
Callum Hudson-Odoi wasted an opportunity for Chelsea on the break when he fired over, but the Seagulls went close to winning it in the closing stages but Arrizabalaga made a great save with his feet to keep out Maupay’s shot.
Brighton came close to equalising before half-time but Leandro Trossard was denied by a sharp save from Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Aaron Connolly tested Kepa again with just over 10 minutes to play and Brighton’s persistence paid off in the 84th minute.
Lewis Dunk kept the ball alive from a corner-kick and Jahanbakhsh acrobatically found the bottom-left corner to give his team a share of the points.
Jose Mourinho’s side surrendered all the three points away from home as Danny Ings’ 13th goal of the season secured Southampton’s third win in four matches as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 to move up to 11th in the table.
Ings latched on to Jack Stephens’ long pass and beat Toby Alderweireld before firing left-footed into the bottom-right corner from eight yards.
Saints started brightly, with Djenepo posing a problem for namesake Sissoko, before Ryan Bertrand’s cross was met by an indecisive Cédric at the far post, whose header back across goal bounced somewhere between the bottom corner and any onrushing teammates.
Spurs skipper Harry Kane led the visitors’ response. Kane, a scorer in each of his last six appearances against Saints, hit a 20-yard snapshot that deflected off Jan Bednarek and forced a sprawling fingertip save from Alex McCarthy.
Then Kane’s cross was helped on by Dele Alli, but safely gathered by the Saints keeper without the necessary power to trouble him.
Alli was asking questions of referee Mike Dean soon after, when he turned inside Jack Stephens and went to ground in the box, but no VAR review was forthcoming.
Back came the hosts in an entertaining start, as Nathan Redmond jinked his way into shooting territory and tested former Saint Paulo Gazzaniga, who couldn’t hold on and was bailed out by his defenders as red shirts swarmed round the loose ball.
But the deadlock was the deadlock was broken by Ings.
Latching on to a clever ball over the top from Jack Stephens, Ings left Alderweireld statuesque, as he lifted the ball over the defender’s head and changed direction in the blink of an eye, composing himself to score on his left foot after the ball dropped back down to earth.
Harry Kane had a goal disallowed for offside before limping off injured, while Lucas Moura’s deflected shot went wide of the post as Saints held on for a crucial victory.
