Chelsea pursued Sander Berge from Fulham during the final phase of the summer transfer window as the club sought additional midfield strength ahead of Enzo Fernandez’s departure.
The London club had planned to acquire a central midfielder before Fernandez completed his move to Manchester City.
Instead, Chelsea offloaded Fernandez for £125 million without recruiting a replacement for that position.
Norway international Berge featured among the candidates considered by Chelsea during the closing stages of the window.
No formal offer was submitted, and Fulham maintained that the 28-year-old was not available for transfer.
Since joining Fulham from Burnley in 2023, Berge has established himself as an important player for the west London club, accumulating 78 appearances across all competitions.
Chelsea directed their attention towards Monaco’s Lamine Camara and Roma’s Manu Kone as deadline day approached.
The club believed an agreement had been reached to secure Camara for £47 million in the dying hours of the transfer window, only for the transaction to collapse mere minutes before the deadline expired.
Additionally, reports indicated that Chelsea made contact regarding Everton’s James Garner on deadline day, though Toffees manager David Moyes has denied that such discussions took place.
Given the difficulties encountered in acquiring midfield reinforcements last month, securing a new central midfielder during the January transfer window is expected to feature prominently on Chelsea’s agenda.
Bournemouth’s Alex Scott has been identified as one of the club’s long-standing targets for that role.
The requirement for additional midfield options was evident during Sunday’s defeat to Arsenal, where manager Xabi Alonso concluded the match deploying right-backs Reece James and Malo Gusto in central positions.
There remains optimism that Moises Caicedo will recover from the injury that sidelined him for the Emirates Stadium loss in time for Saturday’s home fixture against Hull, scheduled for 15:00 BST.