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

Blues linked with Leon Bailey

The Daily Express reports Chelsea are considering a move for Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey, who scored in the German side’s 3-1 win over Rangers in the Europa League last week.

The 22-year-old, who joined Leverkusen from Belgian side Genk in 2017, has netted five goals in the Bundesliga this season and attracted interest from a number of clubs including Liverpool, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.

'Bayern Munich have been keen on Bailey for the last two seasons but Bayer are reluctant to do business with them and would rather sell to a Premier League club,’ states the report.

‘Chelsea had scouts paying particular attention to Bailey when he scored against Rangers on Thursday night, and Lampard is ready to make a move.

‘Lampard has built his Chelsea side this season around younger players like Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

‘Bailey, who started his career in Belgium with Genk before moving to Germany three years ago, fits the same profile, which is why Lampard is ready to pull the trigger and make a move.’

Gilmour compared to French legend

According to Goal.com, former Scotland manager Alex McLeish believes Billy Gilmour has a bright future ahead and has unique qualities similar to legendary France midfielder Alain Giresse.

Amidst calls for the 18-year-old to be given a senior call-up by his country after his impressive displays in Chelsea’s recent matches against Liverpool and Everton, McLeish drew comparisons between the youngster and the diminutive Giresse, who he played against in an international match in 1984.

‘[Scotland manager] Jock Stein came over to me before kick-off and told me to be as physical as I liked against Giresse because, to use that well-worn phrase: “He won’t fancy it.” Famous last words,’ said McLeish.

‘We were absolutely battered in the first-half. We came in two-down at the break and I still remember Gordon Strachan turning around to me and asking what was the record defeat for a Scotland team against France. We were given a run-around.

‘And at the heart of it was this Giresse fella. It didn’t matter how aggressively I went to engage with him, by the time I got there the ball had been moved on. He had an answer for everything.

‘The times when I did actually get close, it had no effect. Giresse may have only been small in stature but he was solid.

‘And one thing I have picked up on, having watched Billy play for Chelsea and looking back to the time playing for Scotland’s Under-21s, is the fact that they have worked on his core strength.

‘Now, it’s not fair to heap that kind of comparison upon Billy’s shoulders quite just yet but I see the same calmness in possession, like he is one step ahead. It’s a rare quality in the game.

‘And if he keeps a level head, he really could go on to be quite a player.’

Fabregas’ Range Rover bet

In an Instagram post, Cesc Fabregas has opened up about a bet he lost to Willy Caballero when he was a Chelsea player and the length he went to in order to settle it.

The bet involved a penalty taken by the Spaniard during a training session at Cobham which was saved by the Argentinian goalkeeper.

‘Many times for many years after training, I stayed a little bit longer to take some penalties. I always made little bets with the goalkeepers to put a bit of spice into the challenge,’ he explained.

‘For some reason, I never really missed one. So one day I got too confident and it got out of hand. It was Willy Caballero’s turn and I told him that if he saved it, I’d get him a Range Rover.

‘Unfortunately for me, he saved it in front of the whole team so you can imagine how it went... I went from feeling the most confident, to feeling the most stupid guy on earth.’

While Fabregas knew he had to make good on the wager, he exploited a loophole to resolve the matter.

‘Everybody obviously was shouting and laughing that I had to pay my debt.

‘I went to a scrapyard and I found a destroyed Range Rover that couldn’t be used at all for £950 so I said, you know what? I’ll get that,’ added the midfielder, who shared the moment he presented the vehicle to Caballero in a video.

‘The lesson of the story is: Don’t bet at all at any cost,’ he concluded.