Chelsea and Manchester City are among the clubs interested in Bayern Munich's 21-year-old Germany midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, who could cost 65m euros (£56m). (Caught Offside), external
The Blues, Arsenal and Manchester United are set to battle to sign England Under-19 centre-back Samuel Amissah, 18, from Fulham. (Telegraph - subscription required), external
Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter at Villa Park
Image source, Getty ImagesJoao Pedro is aiming to become the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to score 20 or more goals in a season.
The Brazil international scored a hat-trick in Wednesday's 4-1 win at Aston Villa to move on to 17 goals this season, with nine league matches – and at least 12 fixtures in total – still to come for Chelsea.
Asked whether he feels pressure to reach the elusive tally, which has not been achieved by a Chelsea player for nine years, the 24-year-old said: "I just try not to think too much about the outside. I just try to do my best every match, and hopefully I can keep doing that and get 20 goals this season.
"Yeah, I've been here in England a long time – six years already – and I was working to get to this point, to arrive at a big club. My opportunity came and now I need to try to do my best every day.
"If you come to play for Chelsea, there is pressure every day, every season. This is normal. We just have to do our job."
Joao Pedro also praised several team-mates, describing winger Alejandro Garnacho – who set up his hat-trick goal – as an "important player" with "great experience". He added: "His time is going to come. He just needs to keep working hard and soon he'll be on the pitch more."
On Cole Palmer, who also scored, he said: "Palmer is a special player, and since I joined he has always tried to be around and help me. I love playing with him."
In the Premier League this season, only Manchester City striker Erling Haaland has scored more non‑penalty goals than Joao Pedro's 14.
Asked whether he knew he was ready for a step up from Brighton when making his summer move, he said: "I knew my opportunity to come to a big club would come. I knew I would get my chance and I had to be ready."
Highlights: Joao Pedro stars as Chelsea ease past Aston Villa
We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Premier League game between Aston Villa and Chelsea.
Here are some of your comments:
Villa fans
Peter: Villa are in free fall. This is a worrying slide in form and looking like a top 5 finish is going to evade them. Injuries to key players have hurt us but Emery's stubbornness to change and stick with with out of form players is not helping.
Ian: Its been a good season up untill the last few games, there still in a champions league position.The question for Villa is can they pull together & bounce back ?
Mike: Another woeful performance full of misplaced passes and disjointed build up play. Really frustrating to see how easily we let them in behind our back four. For the third game running I felt the team we finished with should have been the team we started with. Emery really needs to fix this before our season fizzles out.
Kirk: So bored of watching Villa pass it around the defence, As a Villa fan I switched at half time to watch Newcastle's game, Wow what a difference an attack minded approach can give a team. Safe to say I didn't return for the 2nd half. Looks to me like Emery wants out.
Phillip: I don't think it was a bad Villa performance- we were on the wrong side of some tight decisions and were beaten by the better team on the night.
Rob: We've finally run out of gas - both as a team and as individuals. I think some players have reached their ceiling and need to be moved on so everyone can start fresh and unfortunately, hoping Ollie is going to play himself into form isn't going to happen. For everyone moaning how Arsenal parked the bus last night, that might not be a bad strategy at the moment if we go one-up as we did, especially while we wait for our midfield to return.
Chelsea fans
Ahmed: Traditionally Chelsea are always ahead of Villa unless otherwise the game isn't by their side. Statistically Chelsea always dominates Villa especially a t the Park, villa couldn't hold on after 1 goal up, Chelsea capitalised in the dominance game with one of the best performance in this campaign.
Congratulations to JP for your hat-trick, keep thriving.
Brendan: A better performance all round however still too much passing across the back four and too much involvement of our goalkeeper (s). We very nearly gifted them another goalkeeping error. We need to be more disciplined at the back and also be doing a lot more off the ball to create more forward passing opportunities. A very long way still to go.
Phil: Excellent all round performance after going a goal behind. Not comfortable with Fofana and would prefer to see Sarr play. Best game in a Chelsea shirt from both Pedro and Garnacho. We need to keep this up for the rest of the season
James: Just when I thought form was dipping they go and produce a performance like that! Pedro has proven a very astute signing, and if Chelsea can maintain this level top 4 is realistic.
Keith: A good away win and hopefully we can build on it, Garnacho, Hato and João Pedro excellent, but we've got big problems with our keeper's playing out from the back show's they are not up to it.
Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea had watched Arsenal secure Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting, Manchester United sign Benjamin Sesko and Liverpool then prise Alexander Isak from Newcastle for a British‑record £150m, before completing the £55m signing of Joao Pedro from Brighton in July.
Having been spotted on a beach in Brazil while on holiday, he made an immediate impact at the Club World Cup, scoring three goals in three starts - including a lob similar to his second strike at Villa Park in the final win over Paris St‑Germain in New Jersey.
Perhaps fortunately, Joao Pedro opted for the number 20 shirt having arrived after Liam Delap's move from Ipswich, with the English striker taking the number nine jersey.
That number has weighed heavily on Delap – just as it has on others including Pierre‑Emerick Aubameyang, Radamel Falcao, Fernando Torres, Romelu Lukaku, Alvaro Morata and Gonzalo Higuain during underwhelming spells in west London.
Instead, Joao Pedro exceeded early expectations, scoring twice and providing three assists in his first four Premier League matches.
He then struggled with fitness issues during the autumn period, leading to a dip in form as former head coach Enzo Maresca managed his workload carefully.
But since Rosenior's appointment, he has scored 10 goals in nine Premier League games, along with two more away to Napoli in the Champions League to help the club to avoid the play‑off round.
But his hat-trick at Aston Villa is his biggest achievement in Chelsea colours to date.
"I think it is a special night for me," Joao Pedro told TNT Sport. "I was waiting for this time. My hat-trick came at the right moment, after we lost against Arsenal, I think we showed them the comeback and how much we want to achieve.
"I work a lot to be ready for this moment and I have great players around me so I try to always be in the right place and today I could score three goals.
"Today was special that is why I did a small samba [dance]."
Former Villa defender Micah Richards on BBC Match of the Day said: "He was sensational. Becase he's not an out and out number nine or number 10 he can do both. It makes it very difficult for defenders to defend him. Everything he does is excellent."
Chelsea have also been impressed with Joao Pedro's influence behind the scenes. He has acted as a mentor to young Brazilian pair Estevao Willian and Andrey Santos, having moved to England seven years ago to join Watford as a teenager.
He has also volunteered for media duties after difficult defeats and has helped bridge dressing‑room divides, befriending English, Spanish and French‑speaking team-mates.
It is not a feeling Chelsea have often had in recent years, but they can finally be content with their main striker as he helps ease the pressure in their bid to ensure they are in Europe's top‑tier competition next season.
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter at Villa Park
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea player gather in a huddle before each half against Aston Villa
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has praised his players' "unity" after they began gathering in a circle before each half.
The new ritual appeared to frustrate Aston Villa's players and supporters, who booed the Chelsea squad while stood partly in their half during the interval, as the Blues ultimately ran out 4–1 winners at Villa Park on Wednesday night.
It follows Chelsea's previous team‑building practice of leaving the pitch together as a group after both halves.
When asked whether the latest idea was his, Rosenior replied: "No, it wasn't. The idea came from the players, and I really like it because they're showing unity and togetherness and spirit, and I think you need that.
"Before anything — before you start talking about tactics or systems — you need a group of players willing to run and fight for each other. And in my time, I have to say there hasn't been one game where they haven't given everything or where I was disappointed with their application, and that bodes well.
"They're a good group, they're a tight group, they enjoy each other's company, and that's half the battle."
Chelsea won despite falling behind to an early strike from Douglas Luiz, with Joao Pedro scoring a hat‑trick and Cole Palmer also on target in a crucial victory over their Champions League rivals, as both Manchester United and Liverpool suffered midweek defeats.
Pundits Micah Richards and Danny Murphy join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from the midweek Premier League fixtures.
And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesHat-trick hero Joao Pedro made it nine goals in nine games to give Chelsea a significant boost in their bid to qualify for the Champions League.
His clever movement at the back post allowed him to get free of Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa to equalise, while his dinked finish just before half-time underlined his quality.
His third was another tap-in after Alejandro Garnacho exploited Villa's high line and his 71st minute overhead-kick - which went just wide - highlighted his joga bonito - 'play beautiful' - spirit.
The forward's all-round ability means he can score different types of goals - close range or long range, with his feet and with his head, clinical and spectacular.
Only Manchester City pair Erling Haaland and Antoine Semenyo, along with Brentford's Igor Thiago, have scored more than his 14 Premier League goals this season.
And Joao Pedro, who has also contributed seven assists, has reached that total without any penalties to boost the tally.
Not since Diego Costa's efforts in the 2016-17 title‑winning campaign have Chelsea had a striker capable of scoring 20 goals in a single season, with Tammy Abraham, a Villa substitute on Wednesday, coming closest during his time at Stamford Bridge.
It is not just his output that has impressed staff at Chelsea. Joao Pedro has also acted as a mentor for young Brazilians Estevao Willian and Andrey Santos, and he is known for volunteering for difficult tasks such as speaking to the media after disappointing defeats.
Chelsea believe they selected the right striker and have had value for money from their £55m deal with Brighton, in a summer that Alexander Isak joined Liverpool, Benjamin Sesko moved to Manchester United and Viktor Gyokeres signed for Arsenal.
Liam Rosenior spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Chelsea's victory against Aston Villa: "We knew coming into the game in terms of the season and what we want to achieve that it was a big game. The team stepped up. I thought it was an outstanding team performance. Obviously, Joao will get the plaudits and rightly so but some of our possession play, our incision, pressing, our energy, our commitment to defend was top but it needs to continue.
"We started the game really, really, well and then they score. It is a fantastic finish. I have to say I don't understand how a penalty is not given on Reece, we have a few setbacks, but we've spoken a lot as a group in a positive way and we definitely showed that tonight.
"Rob [Sanchez] is an outstanding goalkeeper and I just saw Filip [Jorgensen] in training and sometimes as a manager you have to go with your gut. Filip gave us something different and they will both be fighting it out for the rest of the season."
Joao Pedro spoke to TNT Sports: "I think it is a special night for me. I was waiting for this time. My hat-trick came at the right moment, after we lost against Arsenal, I think we showed them the comeback and how much we want to achieve.
"I work a lot to be ready for this moment and I have great players around me so I try to always be in the right place and today I could score three goals.
"Everyone wants to win every game. The last game against Arsenal we could win. Today we showed how much we were frustrated from the last game and got an important three points away.
"In the whole season we try to be consistent but have dropped too many points at home but now we need to look forward and do our best every game.
"Today was special that is why I did a small samba [dance]."
Did you know?
Joao Pedro (3 goals, 1 assist) was the first player to be directly involved in four goals in a single Premier League game this season.
Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.
Have your say on Aston Villa's performance
What did you make of Chelsea's display?
Come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies
Aston Villa make three changes for the team that suffered a shock defeat away at Wolves on Friday night.
Jadon Sancho, Lucas Digne and Pau Torres come out for Leon Bailey, Ian Maatsen and Tyrone Mings.
It's not just Sancho but also Tammy Abraham who could come off the bench to face their former club at Villa Park.
Aston Villa XI: Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Maatsen; Onana, Luiz; Bailey, Buendia, Rogers; Watkins
Subs: Bizot, Digne, Torres, Bogarde, Barkley, Sancho, Abraham, Alysson
Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior leaves out replace goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and replaces him with no2 option Filip Jorgensen.
It follows criticism of his performance against Arsenal on Sunday, with Wesley Fofana returning from suspension to replace Mamadou Sarr but Pedro Neto banned after earning the Blues' ninth red card of the season.
Alejandro Garnacho replaces him on the wing and Malo Gusto comes in for Andrey Santos, with Marc Cucurella only fit enough for the bench after a month out.
Chelsea XI: Jorgensen, James, Fofana, Chalobah, Hato, Caicedo, James, Palmer, Fernandez, Garnacho; Joao Pedro.
Subs: Sanchez, Badiashile, Sarr, Tosin, Cucurella, Santos, Lavia, Delap, Guiu
There are five games in the Premier League on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.
Aston Villa v Chelsea - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2
Brighton v Arsenal - BBC Radio 5 Live
Fulham v West Ham
Manchester City v Nottingham Forest -BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra
Newcastle v Manchester United (20:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3
Kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated
Follow all of the action and reaction here
You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Brighton v Arsenal" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v Man Utd", for instance.
Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds
Nizaar Kinsella
Football reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesCole Palmer was named the eighth‑best player in the world at the Ballon d'Or ceremony in September, but both data and the eye test indicate a dip in form.
The 23-year-old is still regarded within Chelsea as "untouchable". However, even by the reigning PFA Young Player of the Year's own admission, Palmer is not yet operating at his fluid, brilliant best - with several mitigating factors contributing to that downturn.
Palmer has seven goals and three assists in 16 matches since returning from the groin issue in December. However, four of those goals have come from the penalty spot.
Penalties have boosted Palmer's numbers throughout his career. Only former midfielders Mark Noble and Mikel Arteta have a higher proportion of penalties among players with 40 or more Premier League goals, compared with Palmer's current 40% ratio.
No player in the Premier League has scored more penalties than Palmer's 18 since his Chelsea debut in September 2023 - underlining why the man nicknamed 'Cold' is already viewed as one of the best finishers from 12 yards in the competition's modern era.
Palmer's form has dipped since his sensational 2024 calendar year. From his Chelsea debut to the meeting with Bournemouth in January 2025, Palmer scored 36 league goals (33% of them penalties) and provided 17 assists in 54 matches.
Since then, he has scored nine league goals (66% penalties) and registered three assists in 33 games. Palmer is taking fewer shots, creating fewer chances and posting lower expected‑goals and expected‑assists numbers across those two periods.
Interestingly, Chelsea have also shown they can compete without him.
Without Palmer, Chelsea have won 73% of their games this season compared with just 24% when he plays. They have taken 2.27 points per match without him compared with 1.18 with him and have improved from 1.5 to 2.2 goals per game in his absence.
They are curious statistics given Palmer's decisive performances in both the Conference League final victory over Real Betis in May and the Club World Cup triumph against Paris St‑Germain in July, wins that confirmed his status as Chelsea's main match-winner.
Noel Sliney
BBC Sport senior journalist
Aston Villa equalled their club record of 11 wins in a row in all competitions just after Christmas when they came from behind to beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge courtesy of two second-half goals by Ollie Watkins.
Villa are now looking to complete a first league double over Chelsea since 1989-90 but their recent laboured performances have given the visitors an opportunity to move within striking distance as the race for Champions League qualification intensifies.
Villa feeling the pressure
These are tense times at Villa Park. What started as a wobble has escalated into a collapse of form. Ponderous, passive and profligate, Aston Villa's recent displays have worrying echoes of their early-season malaise when it took them five league games to score and six to win.
Unai Emery's side are perhaps fortunate their current run of two wins, five goals and nine points from eight matches has not been punished more heavily by the chasing pack in the hunt for a Champions League spot.
Nonetheless, Villa had an eight-point cushion in third place early in the year but could find themselves only three points clear of sixth-placed Chelsea by full-time. There were 12 points between the sides seven games ago.
Another failure to qualify for the Champions League would be both a sporting and financial calamity for the Birmingham club. The subdued atmosphere at Villa Park of late is a reflection, in part, of the anxiety felt by supporters who are acutely aware that key players will be sold, with limited scope to reinvest in the squad, if Villa don't return to Europe's premier club competition.
Morgan Rogers, the scorer of Villa's only goal from open play across their past six league and cup matches, admitted after Friday's dismal defeat to bottom side Wolves that the team were feeling the pressure too. "It does weigh on us but it shouldn't," he said. "We deserve to be here and we should not forget that."
Villa need to swiftly remember how to win as their next four matches could be season-defining, with successive league games against Champions League rivals Chelsea and Manchester United and a two-legged Europa League tie against Lille.
Chelsea with issues to address
Chelsea are enduring their own slump in form, albeit not to the extent of Villa's. They won their first four league fixtures under head coach Liam Rosenior but have since drawn at home to promoted pair Leeds and Burnley, despite leading late on in both games, and then paid for errors and ill-discipline away to Arsenal on Sunday.
Pedro Neto's red card during that match was Chelsea's seventh in the Premier League this season – three more than any other club in the division – and their ninth in all competitions. Rosenior subsequently warned his players that he will not pick those he cannot trust to "stay disciplined".
Sunday's defeat highlighted two other areas the head coach must quickly address if he is to guide Chelsea to Champions League qualification through their league placing. Firstly, the Blues conceded two soft goals from corners against Arsenal and have let in seven overall from such situations in Rosenior's 13 matches in charge.
It also means they have only once beaten a current top-six side this season – Liverpool back in October – and have the worst head-to-head record of those teams, with Aston Villa having the best. With four games still to play against sides currently above them, Chelsea's top-five prospects may rest on whether they can significantly improve their results in those fixtures.
Aston Villa are on a terrible run and are going to fall out of the top four at this rate.
Chelsea are not exactly flying at the moment either, but their biggest problem is that they can't keep 11 players on the pitch - they probably would have got something against Arsenal on Sunday if not for Pedro Neto's silly red card.
It's hard to back either team to get the win, so I am going to sit on the fence here.
Sutton's prediction: 1-1
Nizaar Kinsella
Chelsea reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesLiam Rosenior admits Chelsea are "running out of time" and need to qualify for Champions League for the season to be considered a success.
The 41-year-old head coach, appointed in January from partner club Strasbourg, has overseen a three-game winless run after defeat at Arsenal on Sunday.
It increases the pressure on Chelsea, who are six points behind top four rivals Manchester United and Aston Villa, before a visit to the latter Midlands club on Wednesday night.
"A successful season for this club has to be to qualify for the Champions League. It has to be," Rosenior told reporters.
"I'm not shouting from the rooftops. That's the level of club this club is. Where we are, we still have a very, very good chance of achieving that.
"Also to win a trophy would be amazing and it's something that's achievable. It's funny today, it's the first time we trained with the white balls. For me, when those white balls come out, we can't make those mistakes that we're making.
"Because you're running out of time and that's the message myself and my staff have given the players this morning."
However, despite the importance of finishing in the top four, with a fifth Champions League place looking likely depending on how English teams perform in Europe this season, Rosenior won't prioritise Chelsea's league commitments.
"No. I don't look at it that way," he added. "I want to win every game I play. I know it sounds very cliched but it's true. That's why we're here. Whether it's Arsenal, Aston Villa or Wrexham away, we want to win and we expect to win every game."
After facing Villa, Chelsea have away games at in-form Championship play-off chasing Wrexham and against European champions Paris St-Germain in the last-16 of the Champions League.
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Will Faulks
Fan writer
Image source, Getty ImagesChelsea are still reeling from another frustrating game at the weekend, where the Blues destroyed any chance they had of getting a result against Arsenal with some shocking set-piece defending and another infuriating red card.
But there's no time to stew on it - the next match is already on the horizon. They face top five rivals Aston Villa on Wednesday night, knowing that a defeat will constitute another hammer blow to their Champions League chances.
After three games without a win, you won't find many people backing Liam Rosenior's team to get a result at Villa Park, despite their opposition being in a similar slump. The errors, ill-discipline and lack of leadership that has hurt them time and again in the last few years haven't gone anywhere. Rosenior is at least acknowledging them, but so far there's no evidence that he's been able to change anything.
Surely he spent the week focusing on discipline after Wesley Fofana's red cost the team a week ago? Well, you'd have been forgiven for thinking the coach didn't mention it at all when you saw Enzo Fernandez getting a yellow card for petulantly chucking the ball away; or the utterly unforgivable three minutes where Pedro Neto got his own yellow for dissent, then followed it with a second caution for a braindead lunge.
This group keep being called "inexperienced," but you can't say that of Fofana, Fernandez or Neto. They are immature, which is something very different. To be honest, they also come off as just plain old-fashioned stupid when they're so unable to separate their actions from the inevitable consequences.
Most Chelsea fans lost patience with the club's sporting directors long ago. The ownership who appointed them weren't far behind. Now some of the players themselves are really pushing their luck.
Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News, external
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton says Chelsea need to address their ill-discipline "collectively" because it is hindering them this season in their push for a top-four finish.
Chelsea have received seven red cards from 28 games in the 2025-26 season, with winger Pedro Neto the latest to see red in a 2-1 defeat by league leaders Arsenal.
The Blues are seeing red an average of once every four games, and if that run continues they might match or break the current record.
"Neto is not 18 or 19 years old where you can maybe excuse it as youthful exuberance," said Sutton on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "He is 25 years old.
"His second challenge was just idiotic, especially such a short time after the first - he'd literally just been booked.
"Collectively, it is a problem because they don't want to be in that position, so you should assume it is something they have discussed. It's also not like it's difficult to get to the bottom of."
In addition to Neto, Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Moises Caicedo, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella have all been given their marching orders by referees this campaign.
"They [all the red cards so far this season by players] are all different but you can't excuse Neto's sending off and because of it they are shooting themselves in the foot," Sutton added.
"It's not helping Liam Rosenior and their top-four aims. He talks about accountability and that is a young, inexperienced squad - but they are old enough to know better."
Watch the full episode of Monday Night Club on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds
