Chelsea to 'reignite Alex Scott move' in January after transfer mission

Chelsea are planning to revisit their pursuit of Bournemouth star Alex Scott when the January transfer window opens.

Xabi Alonso's side saw multiple offers rejected for the 23-year-old, including a late bid on deadline day which was immediately blocked by Bournemouth.

While there is still plenty of water to pass under the bridge between now and January, the Blues are eyeing the England international as their top target in 2027.

Former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Chelsea scouts will be watching Scott "every week" between now and when the winter window opens.

Alonso is determined to add a new central midfielder to his squad as soon as possible, following the late sale of Enzo Fernandez to Man City on transfer deadline day.

Scott remains very highly regarded at Stamford Bridge, but there are also doubts about whether Bournemouth would be willing to sell in January after rejecting previous bids.

Will Chelsea make another move for Alex Scott?

Brown told Football Insider back in July that Chelsea were rivalling Man United in their pursuit of Scott, and the Blues quickly emerged as the front-runners for his signature.

The midfielder turned down an offer to extend his contract at the Vitality Stadium, placing potential suitors on alert, but Bournemouth were very reluctant to see him leave.

That stance is unlikely to change mid-way through the season, but Chelsea are poised to test their resolve again and view him as the perfect addition to Alonso's midfield.

"Chelsea were disappointed to miss out on Scott before the window closed," Brown told Football Insider.

"I watched him when he was at Bristol City and was always very impressed, he's a very good player on the ball and he's gone from strength to strength since he joined Bournemouth.

"Chelsea now want him, but after they couldn't get a deal done, I expect they will have scouts keeping a very close eye on him every week until the January window opens.

"They still need a new midfielder because they've lost Fernandez, that's not going to change between now and January, it'll just be about how Bournemouth feel.

"Obviously a lot has to happen between now and then, but I can't see Bournemouth being keen for him to move on after they worked hard to keep him in the summer.

"I expect Chelsea to return in January, but it might be something they have to wait until next summer for before they can get it done."

Which other midfielders are on Chelsea's radar?

Scott was not the only midfielder Chelsea targeted in the closing stages of the summer transfer window, after they opted to let Fernandez move to Man City.

Everton star James Garner was also firmly on their radar, before the Toffees rejected a bid, while they came extremely close to landing Monaco star Lamine Camara.

However, Football Insider revealed on 4 September that Chelsea were left raging with Monaco and accused them of unprofessional behaviour after their move for Camara fell through.

Chelsea had agreed a £47.1million deal with Monaco for the midfielder, before the deal was cancelled as the French club preferred to sell Folarin Balgoun to Everton.

The relationship between the two clubs is believed to have been significantly damaged by the Ligue 1 outfit's decision to pull the plug late on, and any return may be unlikely.