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Renato Sanches was approached by Chelsea over a shock Premier League return after the transfer deadline, it has been reported.

Sanches has been a free agent since September 1, when his Paris Saint-Germain contract was terminated to allow him to find another club.

The Portugal midfielder, 29, spent last season on loan at Greek giants Panathinaikos, and was deemed surplus to requirements upon his return to Luis Enrique's side.

According to Foot Mercato, one of the clubs interested in signing Sanches as a free agent was Chelsea, with their manager Xabi Alonso believed to have personally contacted him.

However, it is claimed that, after giving the move due consideration, Alonso decided against adding to his current squad - though the situation could change in January if Sanches is still unattached. Chelsea have named a 20-man Premier League squad, so can add to it without restriction if they wish.

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Why Chelsea approached Renato Sanches

Alonso was team-mates with Sanches during the pair's time at Bayern Munich, with the Portuguese considered one of the top young talents in world football at that stage of his career. Sanches had an unsuccessful loan spell in the Premier League with Swansea during the 2017/18 campaign, and has since played for Lille, Roma and Benfica.

The Blues were left a midfielder light on deadline day following their decision to allow Enzo Fernandez to join Manchester City for a staggering fee of £125 million.

They agreed a deal to sign Lamine Camara from AS Monaco as his replacement, but the Ligue 1 club pulled the plug on the move to focus on selling Folarin Balogun to Everton instead.

When that deal fell through, there was insufficient time for Camara to join Chelsea and he will stay at Monaco until at least January.

Foot Mercato previously reported that, in response, the Blues made contact over a move for former Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum. Like Sanches, Wijnaldum is also currently a free agent after leaving Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq in June.

The 36-year-old would have fit the bill for Alonso in terms of adding more experience to his squad, with Chelsea having signed Danny Welbeck, 35, and Jordan Henderson, 36, during the summer.

But Wijnaldum is reported to be closing in on a move to fellow Saudi club Al Ittihad on an initial one-year contract.

Chelsea's midfield options profiled

While Chelsea may be a player light in midfield, they still have a number of enviable options that can play there.

Alonso started with a two-man midfield in Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, with Reece James lining up alongside the fit-again Romeo Lavia.

Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson are out of action with injury, while new summer signing Valentin Barco can also operate centrally as well as at left-back.

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Caicedo missed Chelsea's opening 3-2 win with Fulham over a knock, before being replaced after just 14 minutes of his substitute appearance against Brighton after he felt pain.

"We talk about assessing the risk," Alonso said before the Arsenal clash. "Probably last week, we took him too early, and I don't want to make the same mistake."

Fans have been left gobsmacked by James Maddison's physical condition as he steps up his recovery from an ACL injury suffered in pre-season.

Maddison was stretchered off during Spurs' pre-season clash with Newcastle United in Seoul, South Korea, and has missed the entirety of the 25/26 season to date.

Since his injury, Maddison has seen both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor come and go, with Roberto De Zerbi now on the sidelines at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

The England international has been back on the grass in recent weeks, but is still expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season with Spurs taking no risks.

Throughout his recovery, Maddison has often posted to his YouTube channel to document his journey, but recent clips of the midfielder's condition have caught people's attention.

On Tuesday, footage of Maddison performing gym work went viral, with fans blown away by the difference in muscle mass since his ACL injury.

One fan wrote: "Look at the difference in the size of Maddison’s right leg to his left."

"Oh my god, it looks like they put a single Barbie leg on Max Steel's body, poor Maddison," another added.

A third replied: "Injuries hurt players more than we can tell. You could see James Maddison has lost a lot weight, especially in his leg muscles."

"Injuries are crazy man, look at his legs," another commented.

One fan believes the footage is proof Maddison is still six months away from peak performance, adding: "Muscle atrophy is a real hangover from an injury like that. Maddison is 6 months + from hitting any sort of similar athletic heights."

Maddison admits there has been 'lonely days' after ACL injury

Speaking to FourFourTwo in February, the 29-year-old admitted dealing with the mental side of his setback was the toughest, particularly due to his England ambitions.

“It was painful,” he explained.

"It was difficult to accept, with a big season ahead, a World Cup year.

“But it is what it is, you have to deal with it, crack on with the rehab and smile in the face of adversity. I’ve been working hard every day, head down, grit my teeth and get through it.

“There have been some tough days, some dark days, lonely days. But I’ll get there and be back better and stronger, I have no doubt," he added.

New Spurs head coach Thomas Frank may be set to welcome a club-record signing to the club as they fend off interest from Manchester United in their pursuit of a top player.

Frank, 51, was confirmed as the new head coach of Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday (June 12).

“In Thomas, we are appointing one of the most progressive and innovative head coaches within the game,” a club statement read.

“He has a proven track record in player and squad development, and we look forward to him leading the team as we prepare for the season ahead.

“Thomas will be joined from Brentford by Justin Cochrane (First Team Assistant Coach), Chris Haslam (Head of Performance & First Team Assistant Coach) and Joe Newton (First Team Coach Analyst), with Andreas Georgson (First Team Assistant Coach) arriving from Manchester United.”

Reports also emerged that suggest Spurs may look to spend big in this summer’s transfer window following a poor Premier League campaign last season, during which they finished 17th.

Earlier this week, Sky Sports reported that the North London side has stepped up its interest in Antoine Semenyo, currently of Bournemouth.

Semenyo, 25, is also attracting the interest of Manchester United, who share a mutual interest in Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo.

It is thought that the Cherries value the Ghana international at around £65-75m, which could mean Spurs break their current club record of £55m plus £10m in add-ons they paid for striker Dominic Solanke last summer.

The 25-year-old produced 11 goals and five assists in 37 Premier League appearances last term, helping the south coast club to a record-high ninth-place finish.

In his GiveMeSport newsletter, journalist Fabrizio Romano issued an update regarding the player’s future. he wrote: “Semenyo is appreciated, yes, but at the moment it's still early for a negotiation... and Bournemouth will try to keep him.”

Bournemouth have already seen Spain defender Dean Huijsen join Real Madrid for a reported £50m fee, while Serbia-born Hungary left-back Milos Kerkez has been heavily linked with a potential move to Liverpool this summer.