Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City gearing up for Ghoulam sweepstakes in January — reports

There are still three months to go until the January transfer window, but it’s never too early to get the Silly Season hamster wheel rolling and the boredom of the international break generally provides good opportunities for just that. So here is left wing-back Faouzi Ghoulam, who is generally held in high regard and who has gotten off to a good start this season at Napoli.

Hey, left wing-back! Chelsea could use another left wing-back!

Surprisingly, Napoli have done an Arsenal in this case and have allowed Ghoulam’s contract to enter its final year. And while there are rumors of an extension and contract talks coming (possibly with a buyout clause of around €40m), there are also an increasing number of rumors and stories linking the 26-year-old with various moves across Europe, most commonly to Juventus or to one of the Premier League’s big six, including Chelsea.

Ghoulam’s agent will undoubtedly milk this situation for all it’s worth, to either get his client a fat new contract at Napoli or an even fatter new contract at a new team. The Algerian international, who is set to miss this week’s games thanks to a bout of stomach flu, will be able to sign a pre-contract with teams outside of Italy in January (and without having to deal with any of the usual annoyances when it comes to transfer negotiations with Napoli).

Chelsea were briefly linked in the summer, but if Ghoulam is indeed available, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to make a pass at him.