The cheeky Chelsea transfer raid on PL rivals' £34m star that could set January window alight

Few could accuse Chelsea of ever standing idle in the transfer market, and now reports suggest that they could have a surprising swoop lined up for January – which would see a Manchester City man make an unexpected move to Stamford Bridge.

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea are “keeping a close eye” on defender Abdukodir Khusanov with the hope of arranging a deal in the coming transfer window. It’s an eyebrow-raising rumour, but could such a trade actually take place this season?

Chelsea interested in Abudkodir Khusanov – reports

The story is light on detail, and doesn’t imply that any discussions have taken place over a deal – and nor does it suggest the kind of transfer fee which might persuade Manchester City to part with a player who become an increasingly important part of their first-team squad.

Chelsea, for their part, are said to have decided that they need some defensive reinforcements despite the summer signing of Maxence Lacroix. No team in the Premier League has conceded as many as the 12 goals they’ve shipped in their first five games, and that seems to be spurring the Blues into action.

Khusanov ticks quite a few of Chelsea’s boxes, most notably in the fact that he’s young at 22 years of age, with plenty of room to develop and gain value over the course of what would likely be another lengthy contract. While they have looked to sign older players since the arrival of Xabi Alonso, signing, developing and eventually reselling young talent remains an integral part of the club’s transfer strategy.

While Khusanov’s own thoughts on his future are not mentioned in the report, it is also suggested that several other Premier League sides are keeping tabs on the Uzbekistan international, hinting at widespread belief that Manchester City might be prepared to sell him in the near future.

Khusanov, who joined City from Lens in January 2025, is under contract until 2031 having signed an extension to his initial deal in July. That extension not only signals that City intend to keep the defender around, but also that any transfer fee offered would have to be exceptionally high.

Will Khusanov leave Manchester City this January?

On the face of it, Caught Offside’s reporting is exceptionally light on detail and as such feels somewhat speculative – but Chelsea are hardly strangers to surprising moves in the transfer market, and Khusanov isn’t guaranteed a starting spot at the Etihad.

The 22-year-old made 15 league starts for Manchester City last season and started each of their first three games this time around, but has since been relegated to the substitutes’ bench as a result of the intense competition for places in Enzo Maresca’s squad.

The quality of Khusanov’s performances has been high when called upon, however, and his excellent work in one-on-one situations, combined with his impressive pace – Khusanov was clocked as one of the fastest players at the 2026 World Cup – both hint at the reasons that Chelsea might be interested and why Manchester City might prefer to keep him around.

As it stands, none of the more reliable media outlets appear to have picked up on the story and while it has been repeated by a number of aggregators, that may be providing a false impression that a number of sources have agreed with the report. At first blush, this has the feel of a spurious story of the kind which routinely gets thrown around in the dead space between transfer windows.

City have offered little encouragement to any teams interested in Khusanov and while he may not be a regular starter now, he’s also a long-term investment who has improved considerably since he first arrived.

Chelsea, however, are a team that routinely demonstrate a willingness to pay over the odds to secure the signings they want. If there’s any team who could pull of such a deal, it’s likely to be them – but there are few reasons to believe this story as it stands.