This weekend will make it just a month until the transfer windows blows wide open again and Chelsea are already sanctioning the move for one of their stalwarts to leave in January.
As previously reported by The Sportsman, Cesc Fabregas is one of three players - alongside Gary Cahill and Andreas Christensen - to be allowed to transfer over to Italy, where they’re expected to join Gennaro Gattuso’s AC Milan.
According to calciomercato’s ‘transfer pundit’ Fabrizio Romano, the Rossoneri have already began talks to bring the Spaniard to Milan but are ultimately reliant on Blues owner Roman Abramovich to allow the move to go ahead, with the Russian - Israeli currently 50/50 about letting Fabregas leave Stamford Bridge after four years.
Fabregas’ contract at Chelsea expires at the end of the season, with the 31-year-old expected to leave after collecting a haul of silverware that contains a League, FA Cup, and a brace of Premier League title.
He has made close to 200 appearances for the West London club since being brought back to the Premier League in 2014 from Barcelona, scoring 22 goals and registering an astonishing 55 assists.
The midfielder previously spent eight years with Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal until 2011 and as a result from those two tenures has gone on to record the second highest assists in Premier League history, with only the peerless Ryan Giggs ahead of him.
Under new manager Maurizio Sarri, however, chances in the starting XI have been fleeting, consigned to brief substitute appearances in the 2018/19 league and caps in the Europa League and Carabao Cup.
