These stories are samples pulled from external media sources. They do not represent the views or position of Chelsea Football Club.

Ivanovic ready to take on Blues?

Having watched Branislav Ivanovic put in a 60-minute shift for West Bromwich Albion in the Carabao Cup in midweek, Baggies manager Slaven Bilic has hinted the Serbian could play against Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend, the Express and Star reports.

The 36-year-old impressed on his first appearance in English football for over three-and-a-half years in Albion’s penalty shootout loss to Brentford at The Hawthorns earlier this week.

And having seen his side concede eight goals in losing their first two matches of the Premier League season, Bilic hinted he could give the veteran defender an opportunity to play against his former team.

‘It was always the plan for him (Ivanovic) to play 45 minutes minimum against Brentford – maybe 60,’ Bilic said.

‘He felt good so it was 60 and he is now in my mind for Chelsea – we are going to see. The Brentford game was the best possible training for him. He came out of it clean, no issues.

‘He brings us quality, he brings us composure, he brings us experience and he brings us leadership on the pitch. We will see. We have a long time to prepare him and the squad for the Chelsea game. Why not?’

Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher played the full 90 minutes for Albion against Brentford and scored in the shootout. However, he will not play against the Blues on Saturday due to the regulations governing loan moves between Premier League clubs.

PSG reportedly in talks to sign Bakayoko

Sky Sports reports Paris Saint-Germain are in talks with Chelsea to sign Tiemoue Bakayoko.

The French midfielder has spent the past two seasons on loan at AC Milan and Monaco and while there have been reports of a possible return to the Italian club, PSG now appears to be a more likely destination.

‘Milan were in talks to re-sign Bakayoko last month, but with no deal having been agreed, Ligue 1 champions PSG have entered the race to sign the 26-year-old,’ states the report.

‘The clubs are understood to be discussing the possibility of either a loan or permanent deal, with Chelsea likely to be keen to arrange a transfer fee now with less than two years remaining on the Frenchman's contract.’

Makelele tops ranking of best arrivals from Real

In a ranking compiled by 90min.com Claude Makelele has been named the best player to move to a Premier League club from Real Madrid with Mateo Kovacic also making the top five.

With Gareth Bale and Sergio Reguilon recently joining Tottenham Hotspur from the Spanish club, the website looked at the other players who made the switch from the Bernabeu to England’s top flight with Makelele coming out in first place ahead of Mesut Ozil and Rafael van der Vaart.

‘Undoubtedly the best player to join the Premier League from Real Madrid was Chelsea's Claude Makelele,’ states the report.

‘The Frenchman was a crucial part of Jose Mourinho's back-to-back title-winning sides from 2004 to 2006. His defensive ability gave the likes of Frank Lampard and Arjen Robben full attacking freedom.

‘His contribution did not go unnoticed. In 2005, he was named in the FIFPro World XI, while he won Chelsea's Player of the Year in 2006.’

Kovacic just missed out on the top three as he came in fourth.

'A few eyebrows were raised when Chelsea shelled out £40m for Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic, but it has proven to be a shrewd piece of business,’ the report added.

‘Making exactly 100 appearances for the club at the time of writing, Kovacic has become a popular figure at Stamford Bridge, winning the club's Player of the Year in 2019/20.’