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

West Ham make loan bid for Barkley

According to the Mirror, West Ham United manager David Moyes is looking to sign Ross Barkley on loan as he looks to work again with a player he helped nurture at Everton.

Barkley has started Chelsea’s last two games after being sidelined for two months with a foot injury and the report indicates the Blues are reluctant to allow the 26-year-old to leave in January.

‘Chelsea are so far refusing to loan Barkley with the club insistent that he remains an important part of their first-team plans,’ states he report.

‘But Moyes is holding out hope that his former charge could be willing to pursue the regular first-team starts that would put him into Gareth Southgate’s thinking for Euro 2020.

‘The club are considering other targets - including 23-year-old AC Milan midfielder Frank Kessie who is considering his options - but West Ham remain open to pursuing a deal for Barkley.’

‘Barkley was called up for England’s last squad for Euro 2020 qualifiers with Montenegro and Kosovo. But he was forced to pull out with injury.’

Isco Chelsea link persists

According to the Daily Express, a report in Spain indicates Chelsea are eager to sign Isco from Real Madrid in order to bolster our midfield.

The report by El Desmarque put Real’s asking price for the Spain international playmaker at £47 million but suggests the Blues would be willing to pay the transfer fee as Frank Lampard looks to create the best midfield in the Premier League.

‘El Desmarque have reported that the Blues are very interested in bringing the 27-year-old to west London, adding that talks could already be underway,’ states the Express.

‘The report goes on to suggest that the club are keen to deploy Isco in front of N’Golo Kante, which would give the current Madrid star plenty of attacking freedom.

‘Zinedine Zidane has handed Isco only six starts in La Liga so far this season, with the player failing to add any goals or assists.’

Kante reportedly snubbed for UEFA team of the year

The Daily Mail alleges UEFA changed the formation of its fans' team of the year selection so it could accommodate Cristiano Ronaldo at the expense of N’Golo Kante.

The selection of the final XI, which is voted for by fans, was unveiled on Wednesday with an unusual 4-2-4 formation, which led to suggestions European football's governing body had manipulated the listing so Ronaldo would not be left out.

‘It can now be disclosed that the reason for doing so was because the Portuguese megastar finished fourth in the forwards category, behind rival Lionel Messi, Liverpool's Sadio Mane and Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski,’ stated the Mail.

‘UEFA chiefs were not impressed and so came up with the formation switch to allocate Juventus's Ronaldo, dropping a midfielder. The unlucky man is understood to have been Chelsea's N'Golo Kante.

‘The move raises serious questions over the integrity of the exercise and fans of the Chelsea man, not to mention the player himself, may well be furious.

‘In previous years fans have chosen the formation. In five of the last six years it has been 4-3-3, with the exception coming in 2017 when 4-4-2 was used.’

Speaking in defence of the selection, a UEFA spokesman said: ‘The formation for this year's team of the year was chosen to reflect the votes of the fans in parallel with the players' achievements in UEFA competitions.

‘As a result, there are five UEFA Champions League winners and four UEFA Nations League finalists (including one winner). The formation changes on a regular basis and this year is no exception.’