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

Blues keep tabs on Barcelona forward

Chelsea are said to be monitoring Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele and have become a ‘candidate’ in the race for the French attacker.

The Barca star has only made six appearances in La Liga this season after a knee injury ruled him out for the first three months of the campaign.

However, reports by Sport Witness suggest he has numerous clubs in the pipeline keeping an eye on him, one of which being Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea side.

‘Chelsea are a ‘candidate’ for Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele as his contract negotiations continue to falter,' the report states.

‘That’s according to L’Equipe, who say there is plenty of Premier League interest in the Frenchman, but it is ‘especially Chelsea’ who are pushing for his signature.

‘Several big sides in Europe are all thought to be keen on the player, but L’Equipe put Chelsea at the front of the queue today.

‘They say the Blues are ‘following him closely’ and that they are ‘among the candidates’ for him this month.

‘The player has never hidden his attraction regarding a move to England, and so an offer from Stamford Bridge could prove to be tempting.’

Gallagher impressing club captain

Crystal Palace captain Luka Milivojevic has been very happy with the performances and consistency of Chelsea-loanee Conor Gallagher.

In an interview with Sky Sports, the Serbian midfielder praised Palace’s new signings for adding quality to their side as they change philosophy under new manager Patrick Vieira.

‘I am very happy with the players that we brought to the squad, how good they have performed. Joachim [Andersen], Marc [Guehi] and Conor [Gallagher] especially,’ Milivojevic said.

‘We played a couple of times against him when he was on loan to other teams. I think he is very talented and a quality player, people speak about his energy which is the face of him as a player.

‘But he has a lot of technical qualities too and he is a very powerful guy,’ he added.

Gallagher has six goals in 17 Premier League appearances so far this season. Milivojevic believes credit should also be given to Vieira, who is getting the best out of him from a central midfield role.

‘We need to give credit to him, but also to the manager who found his position, who uses him in this way and takes the best from Conor. I think that’s always the most important, you need to realise what kind of player you have and where to put him.

‘He is doing great for us. He is a brilliant guy and we are very happy to have him in the squad.’

Colwill thriving at the Terriers

Chelsea youngster Levi Colwill has responded to comparisons with Blues star Reece James as he continues to impress on loan at Huddersfield Town.

Colwill has played 20 times already for Carlos Corberan’s Terriers in the left centre-back role and has swiftly become a fan favourite in west Yorkshire.

In an interview with Yorkshire Live, the 18-year-old has spoken highly of Reece James, who also spent time on loan in the EFL Championship with Wigan in the 2018/19 season.

‘I wouldn’t get ahead of myself and compare myself to Reece James personally because you see what he does week in, week out and he’s a great player,’ Colwill said.

‘It’s nice and I appreciate it, but at the same time it doesn’t really mean that much to me because they can compare me to whoever they like. Ultimately it’s down to me to work hard and put in the performances I need to help me and the team out.'