Cole Palmer to Man United transfer truth clear as Chelsea scout £108m Champions League duo

Enzo Maresca will be determined to extend his winning streak when Chelsea lock horns with Gent. The Blues will lock horns with the Belgian outfit at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night as both sides hope to get off to a winning start in the new-look UEFA Conference League campaign.

Chelsea secured themselves a place in the competition after defeating Servette 2-3 on aggregate in the qualification play-offs. The West Londoners stormed past the Swiss outfit 2-0 on home turf in the first leg before suffering a 2-1 defeat at the Stade de Genève in the return fixture.

Now, Maresca has the chance to write himself – and the club – into the history books and become the first club to win all three UEFA competitions. So, with that being said, football.london has rounded-up the latest Chelsea news and transfer gossip ahead of the Blues' clash against Gent.

Neville on Palmer to Man United

Gary Neville believes Manchester United have no chance of signing Cole Palmer from Chelsea. Speaking on , the former Red Devils defender said: "I know, to be fair, that just rubs salt into the wounds.

"I mean, seriously. He plays for Manchester City as a kid, he supports Manchester United, then he goes to Chelsea and starts scoring 3000 goals and signs a 42-year contract so we can’t even get him back!"

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football.london says: "Manchester United have absolutely no chance of signing Cole Palmer. The Red Devils should worry about finishing above Chelsea first before trying to prise the midfielder from Stamford Bridge."

Maresca urged to axe Chelsea ace

Speaking on , John Obi Mikel claimed Robert Sanchez is stopping Chelsea from becoming Premier League title contenders. The former Blues midfielder said: "He had a nightmare in the first half, he was at fault for the first two goals so for me, that’s a concern but apart from that we are looking very, very strong.

"Of course, the two games before that he performed very, very well but you want to be a title-winning team, you need a top, top goalkeeper. Let’s not kid ourselves, we don’t have that. No disrespect to Robert Sanchez, he’s a fantastic goalkeeper but we need a top, top goalkeeper to compete."

Mikel add: "If he wants to become a top goalkeeper, he needs to start putting in those performances. We know he’s not very good with his feet, that’s not a problem but we need a goalkeeper that’s assured in the goal, can make saves but I watched the game on Saturday and he was at fault for both goals."

football.london says: "Unfortunately, I agree with John Obi Mikel... as it stands, anyway. Robert Sanchez has the tendency to look very shaky at times. I'd like to see Filip Jorgensen given a run between the sticks."

Chelsea scout £108m duo

According to TBR Football, Chelsea sent scouts to the BayArena on Tuesday evening for Bayer Leverkusen's clash against AC Milan in the Europa League. The report states that the Blues were monitoring Victor Boniface and Piero Hincapie, who defeated the Italian giants 1-0.

The former fired Bayer ahead shortly after half-time, while the latter helped Xabi Alonso's side keep a clean sheet. Chelsea have been heavily linked with numerous strikers and defenders recently, but Maresca appears to be getting on just fine with the tools he has.

football.london says: "Victor Boniface and Piero Hincapie are both top players, but I don't think they're must-sign players. Chelsea should wait until the summer before welcoming anymore big names, unless of course a unique opportunity in the market arrises."