The shock £35m Chelsea proposal that could solve glaring problem in Enzo Maresca’s Champions League push

Chelsea are beginning to show strong signs of consistency and momentum for arguably the first time in the Todd Boehly era. The Blues sit third in the Premier League - ahead of the likes of Arsenal, Newcastle, Manchester United and Tottenham - and only four points adrift of the reigning champions of English football Manchester City.

Chelsea have shown that they are capable of scoring plenty of goals this season, with Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Nicolas Jackson all thriving in the league, with Joao Felix and Christopher Nkunku proving that they can be more than worthy standbys with excellent displays in Europe. Meanwhile, Moises Caicedo at the heart of midfield is finally showing signs that he can be the £115m star that fans had been hoping for.

Things are starting to look up for the West London side, but one problem that remains unresolved is the team’s defensive record, with Chelsea keeping just two clean sheets and conceding 13 times, giving them the worst defensive record of any team in the top half, barring Aston Villa.

Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez in particular has been the subject of scathing criticism. The Spaniard was at fault for both goals that Chelsea conceded in a 4-2 victory over Brighton. He came off his line to give away a penalty in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United and arguably should have done better for Gabriel Martinelli’s opener during the 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

His record of three errors leading to goals is the joint highest of any top-flight goalkeeper in the Premier League this season alongside newly promoted Ipswich Town goalkeeper Arijanet Muric. Enzo Maresca has explained in the past that Sanchez is in the team due to his confidence on the ball and his ability to play it out from the back. But his distribution at present is becoming an increasing cause for concern, leading to some calls for Chelsea to sign an upgrade.

Chelsea have not been the most patient team in the past, when it has come to players underperforming, and Boehly has never really been shy of putting his hands in his pocket to invest in the team. This has led to the Daily Mail linking Chelsea with a move for Reds goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher.

The 25-year-old has made no secret of his desire to be the first-choice goalkeeper somewhere after spending the past five and a half seasons as a back-up option behind Alisson Becker, but looks likely to find himself further down the pecking order when Georgian wonderkid Giorgi Mamardashvili joins from Valencia next summer after a deal was agreed in the most recent transfer window.

Kelleher has proven just how effective he can be in a Liverpool shirt for a number of seasons and has not yet made a single error leading to a goal in his five appearances while covering for Alisson this season. The Republic of Ireland international has also proven his in the past by coming out on top in two separate Carabao Cup finals against the Blues and keeping clean sheets on both occasions.

Kelleher is an excellent shot-stopper, who has won all four of the penalty shoot-outs he has been involved in and is also blessed with excellent distribution and composure whilst rarely making any errors leading to goals. He is under contract at Anfield until 2026 and is expected to be available for around £35m.

A move to Stamford Bridge would make Kelleher just the fourth player in the Premier League era to move from Liverpool to Stamford Bridge after Yossi Benayoun, Raul Meireles and Fernando Torres in the past.