London: Chelsea have initiated talks with former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum regarding a potential move to Stamford Bridge on a free transfer. The Dutch international, aged 35, recently parted ways with Saudi Pro-League club Al-Ettifaq earlier this summer.
According to BBC, Arsenal are also active in the transfer market, as they consider a January move for Bournemouth's 20-year-old French forward, Eli Junior Kroupi. Despite the recent transfer window closure, Arsenal's assistant manager, Gabriel Heinze, had previously made contact with Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, but the Italian side showed no interest in negotiating a deal.
Other clubs are also positioning themselves for future transfer activity. Newcastle and Aston Villa are set to continue their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen's 20-year-old forward, Christian Kofane, once the transfer window reopens. Meanwhile, Manchester United opted not to sign a left-back before the window closed, citing a lack of suitable options to enhance their squad.
Everton were approached with a late £65 million bid from Chelsea for English midfielder James Garner, 25, which was ultimately rejected due to the timing of the offer. Despite a challenging end to the transfer window, Everton are not planning to explore the free-agent market for reinforcements.
Elsewhere in the football scene, former Manchester United and France striker Anthony Martial, 30, is currently a free agent and is seeking a return to the Premier League. Tottenham's Brazilian forward Richarlison, 29, has reportedly agreed to a lucrative deal with Turkish club Trabzonspor, with his new salary set to triple his current earnings at Spurs.
Finally, Chelsea could face competition from Liverpool for Monaco's Lamine Camara, should they decide to rekindle their interest in the 22-year-old Senegal midfielder after a last-minute move fell through on deadline day.