Looking to fill the void left by Enzo Fernández's (25) departure for Manchester City, Chelsea have explored numerous options in recent weeks. With moves for Manu Kone (Roma) and Lamine Camara (Monaco) failing to materialize in the final 24 hours of the transfer window (there were even whispers that Xabi Alonso had his eye on Fulham's Sander Berge as a temporary solution), the Blues turned their attention to the free-agent market. That led to initial contact with representatives of Georginio Wijnaldum (35), but after he eventually joined Al Ittihad, the London club's hierarchy put forward another former Paris Saint-Germain player to the coaching staff – none other than Renato Sanches (29)?!🚨🚨 CHELSEA A TENTÉ UNE APPROCHE POUR… RENATO SANCHES 🇵🇹, libre !!! 💙😳Xabi Alonso a finalement préféré faire confiance à son effectif actuel.🗞️ @sebnonda pic.twitter.com/tHSne4t1Z0— Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) September 7, 2026 Once regarded as one of the brightest prospects in Portuguese football, the midfielder spent several years out on loan, never managing to establish himself at the Parc des Princes, just as he had previously failed to do at Bayern Munich. After his spell in Bavaria, he played for Swansea, Lille and Roma, returned to Benfica, and then spent last season at Panathinaikos. And while he failed to impress anywhere, never even coming close to fulfilling the potential that had been predicted for him all those years ago, someone at Stamford Bridge thought Sanches could 'patch up' the hole in Chelsea's squad.“He met some of the main criteria that had been set – having played for top clubs, possessing plenty of experience and being currently available,” Foot Mercato, which was the first outlet to report the story, wrote."He will be one of the best in the world." No, he won'tAccording to the same source, the entire idea was vetoed by Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard knows Renato Sanches well, having shared a dressing room with him for a year when the Portuguese was at Bayern, so it is safe to say he was not exactly impressed by what was put on the table. Rather than bringing in another reinforcement, Alonso decided to rely on what he currently has at his disposal:“We have some options, we need to find the right balance. I believe that even with what we have, we have enough quality and depth to compete with any opponent throughout the entire season”. The latest club to be linked with the Portuguese midfielder is Hull City.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUEROUND 1Tuesday19.45: (1.75) AEK (3.90) LASK (4.50) 22.00: (1.75) Dortmund (4.00) Villareal (4.20) 22.00: (2.30) Lille (3.40) Betis (3.10) 22.00: (1.60) Real Madrid (4.40) Inter (5.00) Wednesday19.45: (1.08) Barcelona (13.0) Feyenoord (20.0) 19.45: (1.23) Stuttgart (6.75) Viking (11.0) 22.00: (1.75) Liverpool (3.90) Atl.Madrid (4.50) 22.00: (4.90) Napoli (3.60) Arsenal (1.75) 22.00: (1.05) PSG (14.0) Slovan B. (35.0) 22.00: (1.90) Sporting (3.50) Galatasaray (4.10) Thursday19.45: (3.15) Fenerbahce (3.45) Roma (2.25)19.45: (1.43) PSV (4.60) Shakhtar (7.25)22.00: (1.10) Bayern (10.0) Bodo (16.0)22.00: (1.95) Como (3.50) RB Leipzig (3.90) 22.00: (1.10) Man.Utd. (11.0) Sabah (18.0) 22.00: (2.60) Slavia Praha (3.35) Lens (2.70)**** odds are subject to change
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