Chelsea are believed to be in discussions over signing a “very mature” England international ahead of 2026, which interestingly comes amid Romeo Lavia’s injury nightmare.

Lavia was hauled off after just eight minutes during Chelsea’s 2-2 midweek draw with Azerbaijani minnows Qarabag in the Champions League, which could slap the Belgian with yet another lengthy lay off.

Qarabağ 2-2 Chelsea – best players	Match Rating
Estevao	8.2
Alejandro Garnacho	7.5
Leandro Andrade	7.4
Matheus Silva	7.0
Marko Jankovic	7.0
via WhoScored

Enzo Maresca didn’t provide a definitive update on the ex-Man City gem’s condition in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wolves, but admitted the situation is a “painful” one.

Lavia launched a water bottle in frustration after being taken off against Qarabağ, and it’s hard to blame him.

Since joining Chelsea in a near-£60 million deal over two years ago, Lavia has failed to complete a single 90 minutes — missing a total of 87 matches and being sidelined for 568 days.

Chelsea have been tipped to sign a new midfielder since Lavia was sidelined once again, but journalist Graeme Bailey says it is something they’ve been considering for a long while as Maresca’s side look to bring in more competition for Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo.

Dario Essugo is also out for a “long time” after undergoing surgery on his thigh, with Maresca suggesting he could remain out until January.

In light of this, Chelsea are believed to be weighing up their options, and they apparently hold a serious interest in Crystal Palace sensation Adam Wharton.

The 21-year-old’s excellent 23/24 campaign earned him a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Euros, but injuries have somewhat stifled his development since then, even if he’s still considered to be one of the country’s brightest up-and-coming talents in the engine room.

Chelsea "actively in talks" with Crystal Palace over Adam Wharton

The Blues are expected to be in the race for Wharton next year, and journalist Aaron Ramiro now claims that they’ve gone a step further already.

According to his information, Chelsea are “actively in talks” with Palace over a deal for the ex-Blackburn Rovers starlet, and the Eagles are talking about the possibility of Trevoh Chalobah going back to Selhurst Park as a makeweight in negotiations.

The England international is very highly-rated by his peers, and Palace have apparently slapped a £100 million price tag on his head to ward off suitors.

How Wharton plays this season will greatly determine whether Chelsea would be willing to get anywhere near that valuation, but former Palace teammate Eberechi Eze is convinced that he’s set for a bright future and already “very mature” for his age.