Chelsea will reportedly reignite their interest in Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez during the January transfer window.
The Blues were strongly linked with the Mexico international in the latter stages of the summer market and are believed to have made an attempt to sign him on transfer deadline day.
However, Ajax allegedly blocked an exit for the midfielder as they had already allowed too many key players to depart, including Antony and Lisandro Martinez, who both joined Manchester United.
Chelsea ultimately brought in Denis Zakaria on loan from Juventus, which led to claims that the Blues had now ended their interest in Alvarez.
However, according to journalist Ben Jacobs, Thomas Tuchel's side will reignite their interest in the Mexican when the January window opens for business.
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Jacobs claims that Alvarez has been 'directly reassured' that Chelsea will be back in for him at the start of 2023, but it remains to be seen whether Ajax sanction a sale in the middle of the season.
The 24-year-old, who has been capped on 58 times by his country, moved to the Amsterdam giants from Club America in 2019.
Alvarez has won two Eredivisie titles and the Dutch Cup during his time at Ajax, representing the club on 107 occasions in all competitions, contributing nine goals and five assists in the process.
The midfielder has also again been an important player for his Dutch club at the start of the 2022-23 campaign, making four appearances in all competitions, contributing two assists.
Alvarez still has another three years on his contract in Amsterdam, placing the Dutch champions in a strong position when it comes to any possible negotiations.
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Chelsea boss Tuchel was backed heavily during the summer transfer window, with Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Carney Chukwuemeka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Gabriel Slonina and Zakaria all arriving.
The deals for Aubameyang and Zakaria were secured on deadline day, with the former arriving from Barcelona, while the latter made the move on loan from Juventus.
The Blues also allowed a number of players to leave the club during the summer market, including Timo Werner, Emerson Palmieri, Billy Gilmour and Malang Sarr.
Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Marcos Alonso exited on free transfers, while club-record signing Romelu Lukaku was allowed to rejoin Inter Milan on loan for the 2022-23 campaign.