Chelsea have lost young midfielder Dário Essugo to injury during the September international break at the start of the 2025–26 season. The knock came while the player was with Portugal U21s and has forced him to withdraw from squad involvement.

Essugo was among a large summer recruitment drive after qualification for the Champions League. The player traders at BlueCo added 10 to the squad and Essugo arrived from Sporting CP for £18.5 million ($23.9 million) in June. The 20-year-old was always viewed primarily as depth; he earned 38 minutes across three appearances during Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign but has yet to play at the start of his Premier League career.

In September he was called up to the Portugal U21s but was later excused from the group after picking up the problem. “The Chelsea midfielder was excused from training due to a muscle problem in his right thigh, which he suffered after training on Monday,” the Portuguese Football Federation confirmed. “The athlete was evaluated by the Portuguese Football Federation’s Health and Performance Department on Tuesday morning and was declared unavailable.”

Essugo’s planned role this season is to provide cover for Moisés Caicedo. Caicedo’s own international break has been affected by fitness concerns: the Ecuador midfielder sat out his side’s first game and was spotted training with a brace around his knee. The prevailing view within the club was that Caicedo’s absence was more precautionary than the result of a serious issue.

The timing of Essugo’s withdrawal is unwelcome for Chelsea as the squad adapts to a busier calendar, but the club’s summer signings were intended to build resilience across a crowded schedule. The immediate impact will be on selection options while the youngster completes assessment and recovery.

Andrey Santos has confirmed he rejected a significant summer approach from Saudi side Al Qadsiah after Chelsea opened talks over a €70 million offer. UOL revealed earlier this week that the bid, worth €70 million (£60.7 million, $82 million), prompted Chelsea to consider an exit for the midfielder.

Santos said he declined despite the opportunity to earn more than five times his current salary in the Middle East. “The offer did arrive, but I immediately declined because of my dream and main goal, which is the World Cup,” Santos told Trivela . “I know that being at Chelsea and in the Premier League gives me better chances than in Saudi Arabia. That was the main factor in my response to them.”

The 2025/26 season context has left Santos focused on forcing his way into Brazil’s squad for next season’s World Cup. He is aiming to move up Chelsea’s midfield pecking order under boss Enzo Maresca, who also has Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo among his options.

Santos has featured as a substitute in each of Chelsea’s three Premier League games to date, usually deployed slightly higher than the defensive role in which he impressed while at Strasbourg. He has been clear about where he prefers to operate on the pitch. “I really enjoy playing as a defensive midfielder,” Santos continued. “I even think it’s my main position, because I grew up as a defensive midfielder. When I moved up to Vasco, it was as a defensive midfielder. At Chelsea, I play a bit further forward, but I feel comfortable playing in both positions.”

Bayern Munich had also been linked as a suitor during the window, but Santos’s public stance is that remaining at Chelsea and competing in the Premier League offers the best pathway to his World Cup objective.

Bayern Munich honorary president Uli Hoeneß has outlined a strict condition on Nicolas Jackson’s loan from Chelsea: the deal will only become permanent if Jackson starts 40 games across all competitions this season.

Hoeneß also addressed the headline fee attached to the single-season loan, which had been reported as a record €16.5 million (£14.3 million, $19.3 million). He said part of that sum was covered by Jackson and his agents. “Firstly, it wasn’t €16.5 million, the player and his agents paid €3 million,” Hoeneß said during an appearance on Doppelpass. “The player cost €13.5 million.”

Hoeneß defended the pricing in context. “If a player costs €80 million across a five-year contract, it costs around €16 million every year, so it’s a good transfer.” When the prospect of the purchase clause being triggered was raised, Hoeneß laughed: “He must play 40 games as a starter. He’ll never do that.”

The club’s fixture load and squad pecking order explain Hoeneß’s confidence. Bayern played 56 matches across all competitions last season, including five games at the Club World Cup. They exited the Champions League in the quarter-final and the DFB Pokal in the last 16.

On the field, Harry Kane remains Bayern’s undisputed starting striker when fit. The left wing is filled by Luis Díaz following his £65.5 million switch from Liverpool, while Michael Olise is a near-permanent starter on the right. Those factors, Hoeneß suggested, leave Jackson facing a clear battle for opportunities as a starter this season.

The condition set by Hoeneß ties Jackson’s future to consistent starts rather than isolated appearances, and it places the onus on the player to displace established options if Bayern are to trigger the purchase clause.