An update has emerged on Chelsea and their plans to strengthen their squad at Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window...

What's the talk?

Journalist Simon Phillips has claimed that the Blues are "considering" a swoop to sign Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash before the end of the month.

The reporter has also published an article stating that the club are poised to 'step up' their pursuit of a new player in that position to compete with Cesar Azpilicueta and Reece James.

However, it remains to be seen how open the Villans are to doing a deal for Cash and how much they would demand from the Blues for his signature.

James alternative

Graham Potter could land a dream alternative to James on the right side of the back five by securing a deal to sign the Villa dynamo in the coming weeks.

The England international missed nine matches earlier this season with a knee injury and is projected to miss seven games in total with his current knee issue, after sitting out of 20 outings in all competitions last term with various fitness problems.

His worrying injury record over the last 18 months indicates that the Chelsea manager needs a reliable, long-term, option to compete with James in that position and that is what Cash could be.

Firstly, the Villa gem is 25 and has plenty of years left ahead of him to be a frontline option for Potter and would not be coming in as a short-term fix as a veteran heading into the final throes of his career.

He has also played 81 matches in the Premier League and would be able to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge as he would not be arriving as a player who needs time to adjust to English football or the top-flight.

Cash, who Villa podcaster Ty Bracey once dubbed "unreal", has also shown that he has the quality to produce excellent performances at this level.

The £80k-per-week Poland international averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.96 across 38 appearances in the Premier League last season, scoring four goals and assisting three whilst also making 3.6 tackles and interceptions per match - as per Sofascore.

Only seven Chelsea players have averaged a rating higher than 6.96 in the division this term and this suggests that Cash has the quality to fit in as a rotation option for the club, which makes him a dream alternative to James for when the Englishman is unavailable for selection.