Chelsea eye transfer raids for top EPL players

Chelsea are ready to splash £40million in January bids for Jamie Vardy and Mousa Dembele.

Jose Mourinho’s champions have had a shambolic start to their title defence.

And they have lined up the Spurs midfielder and Leicester’s red-hot striker as targets for the looming winter transfer window.

The Stamford Bridge boss believes £20m-rated Dembele would give his ailing champions a desperately-needed mid-season boost and believes the club should make an offer.

Dembele has been in outstanding form for Mauricio Pochettino’s team in recent weeks but Spurs had been willing to sell the player last summer and his long-term future remains uncertain.

And Mourinho will get another close look at him on Sunday when the two teams meet at White Hart Lane.

As revealed in Mirror Sport earlier this month, Spurs are opening talks over a new deal to replace Dembele’s current contract which expires in 18 months.

But he is likely to keep his powder dry with Chelsea and Stoke City both holding a keen interest in him.

Vardy, the division’s top marksman this season, will try to break Ruud van Nistelrooy’s Premier League record of scoring in 10 games in a row when Leicester take on Manchester United on Saturday night.

Chelsea have Vardy - the Premier League’s leading scorer with 13 - among their strikers under consideration for a January move as they seek to solve their problems in front of goal, with Diego Costa having found the target just four times this season.

They have been impressed by Vardy’s work rate but are examining other elements of his game, including whether he could cope with the pressure of performing in their star-studded squad.

That Vardy is being watched by Chelsea at all caps a remarkable rise for the striker who was playing non-league football just four years ago.

But Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has told Vardy he can win trophies with Leicester and become the club’s new “king”.