Man City eye Cole Palmer revenge on Chelsea with January move

Tom Weber

• 20 Dec 2025 14:23 CST
• 3 min read

News

Chelsea youngsters Josh Acheampong and Dario Essugo are attracting January attention, with Manchester City among the clubs interested in the former, according to a report.

Acheampong is in the midst of a mixed season at Stamford Bridge. Despite summer interest, the teenager opted to remain at Chelsea, but game time has been limited.

On Saturday, Chelsea drew 2-2 with Newcastle at St. James' Park, coming from 2-0 down to salvage a point. For the eighth consecutive Premier League game, Acheampong was an unused substitute.

All told, he has only made 11 appearances across all competitions so far this term, playing fewer than 700 minutes. It is therefore unsurprising that the 19-year-old is once again attracting the attention of potential suitors.

According to Ben Jacobs, Man City and Bayern Munich are among the clubs keeping a close eye on his situation and lack of game time. "Formative enquiries" are being made for the teenager.

Chelsea stance on Acheampong

However, Jacobs also reports that Chelsea's stance on Acheampong remains unchanged. They previously insisted that he is not available, and they are still not budging.

It therefore seems unlikely that anything major will materialise for Acheampong in the January transfer window, but his situation will be worth keeping an eye on going forward.

Head coach Enzo Maresca recently said that Acheampong always does well when he gets opportunities to play, but if those opportunities continue to be few and far between, the youngster may have to look for a new club in the summer.

In addition to Acheampong, midfielder Dario Essugo is also attracting January interest. LaLiga outfit Levante are interested in a loan move for the Portuguese, and discussions have been held with his camp, but Chelsea's priority is to nurse the summer signing back to full health first.

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