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

Blues linked with RB Leipzig centre-back

Chelsea have joined the race to sign French centre-back Dayot Upamecano in the summer.

According to reports in the Daily Mail, RB Leipzig still want to hold on to the 22-year-old for the next couple of months. However, the summer is looking more likely to be when he’ll leave.

Upamecano is in high demand across Europe with interest from Spanish clubs Real Madrid and Barcelona. The reigning European champions Bayern Munich are also rumoured to be keeping tabs on the centre-back.

Frank Lampard has established a strong centre-back pairing with Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva, who arrived on a free transfer in the summer. Upamecano is reportedly seen as a long-term option.

The 22-year-old signed a new deal with Leipzig last season, but his release clause remains at £40 million, which is relatively low for one of Europe’s biggest emerging talents.

Gilmour donates jersey for fundraiser

Blues midfielder Billy Gilmour has donated one of his matchday jerseys to raise funds for a Scottish boy’s surgery.

Blues midfielder Billy Gilmour has donated one of his matchday jerseys to raise funds for a Scottish boy’s surgery.

Five-year-old Cammy Gilmour was born more than three months premature and suffers from quadriplegic cerebral palsy.

His father reached out to the midfielder on Twitter in an attempt to help raise awareness of his son’s situation and the Scot responded by sending a signed shirt which will be raffled to raise funds.

‘The response has been incredible. I reached out to a few players and Billy got back to me saying he’d like to be involved,’ Jim told the Daily Record.

‘He retweeted the appeal and there have been Chelsea fans flocking to it to get their hands on the shirt.’

The family are hoping to raise £100,000 for their son to receive surgery and treatment in America that will help him live a better life.

The midfielder started the Blues’ FA Cup third round fixture against Morecambe on the weekend and was very influential.

Only Cesar Azpilicueta (131) and Antonio Rudiger (116) had more touches than him (110) on the pitch. He also was third in total passes completed, with 73 of his 103 in the opponent’s half, finishing the match with a 92.2 per cent passing accuracy.

Bakayoko scores his first Napoli goal

Tiemoue Bakayoko scored a late winner against Udinese to net his first goal for Napoli.

The midfielder is on loan with the Italian side and has continued to show good performances throughout the season. His first goal for the club came at a crucial time and he believes the side must regain self-confidence.

‘It’s a very important win for us against a good team,’ he told Sky Sports which was also reported in Football Italia. ‘We are going through a tough time and we had to give a signal.

‘I hope Napoli will continue to win. We must regain self-confidence. This win is so important for everyone, for us, for the coach and the club.’

The French midfielder moved from Monaco to Stamford Bridge in 2017 and was part of the Blues team that won the FA Cup in 2017/18 under Antonio Conte.

The 26-year-old has been on loan at AC Milan and his former club Monaco in the past few years. His performances for Napoli this season mean he is delighted to finally get a goal.

‘I am so happy for my first goal in a Napoli shirt, especially because it allowed us to pick up all three points.’