Chelsea transfer news: Surprise January move emerges as Blues ‘keep close eye’ on Man City star

Chelsea are reportedly showing an interest in Manchester City defender Abdukodir Khusanov ahead of the January transfer window.

The 22-year-old was signed by the Citizens for a reported £33.5m in January 2025 having previously gained senior football experience in Belarus and then with Lens in France.

Khusanov endured a horror Premier League debut against Chelsea in which he gifted the Blues a goal and received a yellow card inside the opening six minutes.

However, the Uzbekistan international has responded to that setback in admirable fashion and has since made a notable impact under former boss Pep Guardiola and current manager Enzo Maresca.

Endearing himself to the Etihad faithful with his warrior-like defending, Khusanov has played 53 times for Man City across all competitions, including 37 outings last season to help the Citizens win the FA Cup and EFL Cup.

Khusanov extended his contract at City in July until the summer of 2031, but that does not seem to have deterred interest from Premier League rivals Chelsea.

Chelsea among PL clubs closely monitoring Khusanov

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea are one club ‘keeping a close eye’ on Khusanov ahead of January, while three other unnamed Premier League sides have also been credited with an interest.

Xabi Alonso will likely priorities defensive reinforcements in 2027 after seeing his Chelsea side concede a staggering 12 goals in five Premier League games this season, more than any other team.

This comes after Chelsea spent £52m on Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace and signed experienced goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from Aston Villa for around £7m in the summer.

Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana and Josh Acheampong represent other central defensive options for Alonso, but reinforcements in either January or the summer are set to be assessed by the club’s hierarchy.

“Khusanov can be one of the best centre-backs in the world”

A surprise January move for Khusanov will likely prove unsuccessful, though, as Man City view the defender as key part of their project.

Director of Football Hugo Viana recently heaped praise on Khusanov’s development and strongly believes that he will eventually establish himself as one of the best centre-backs in world football.

“We all knew when we brought him, we all knew about his physicality – his physical attributes,” Viana told Man City’s official media channels.

“But we all believed that he could be a really important player. Not so soon, because he was young and had only been playing in France for a short time.

“We’ve been really happy with him. He’s still developing, still has to learn and we feel sure he can be one of the best centre-backs in the world.”

Khusanov’s is currently away on international duty with Uzbekistan, working under head coach and Ballon d’Or-winning defender Fabio Cannavaro, ahead of friendlies against Iran and South Korea.