Chelsea scouts may watch 8 World Cup stars including Netherlands duo

Chelsea; Graham Potter will be keeping tabs on Christopher Nkunku and Frenkie de Jong (Image: Getty Images/Express Sport)Chelsea may have spent over £270million this summer after heavy backing from owner Todd Boehly, but with head coach Graham Potter eyeing his own transfer targets in January, the World Cup is likely to be populated with several scouts from the club’s recruitment team. The Blues have their sights set on at least eight players to track in Qatar as the month-long tournament gets underway.Potter is in dire need of new faces in the squad despite eight new signings over the summer, with Thomas Tuchel in charge before his brutal sacking. The 47-year-old’s contrasting style to his predecessor means he may need some new technicians to be added to his squad and with an abundance of talent on show in the Middle East, Chelsea can keep a close eye on their prospective targets.Aided by the appointments of his recruitment chief Kyle Macaulay and Paul Winstanley, in addition to technical director Christopher Vivell, Potter will be able to concentrate on training his squad back in Cobham while the club’s transfer gurus run the rule over his targets.Express Sport takes a closer look at the eight potential players who could be watched closely this winter by Potter’s recruitment team. Christopher Nkunku has been strongly linked with Chelsea (Image: Getty)Chelsea have been watching RB Leipzig star Christopher Nkunku for some time, but the French star will finally be unleashed onto the biggest stage this summer to prove he can perform at the highest level. Alongside Kylian Mbappe and Olivier Giroud, Nkunku will have the best opportunity to showcase his talents in front of scouts from around Europe, with Real Madrid also thought to be interested.The 24-year-old has already hit 14 goals in all competitions this season, in addition to the 35 he scored in 2021-22. The Blues are in pole position to land the France international with a £70m deal on the table for Leipzig to approve in the summer of 2023, although Potter may want to move up the timeline given his side’s goalscoring problems of late.Frenkie De Jong and Denzel Dumfries – NetherlandsWhile De Jong’s move to the Premier League failed to come to fruition over the summer, speculation regarding the Dutchman’s future refuses to die down amid concerns over Barcelona’s finances. If they needed to sell, the 25-year-old would be the most lucrative asset to offload and Chelsea may be looking to recruit, with doubts over Jorginho and N’Golo Kante’s future beyond 2023.The Blues will be keeping a close eye on his international team-mate Dumfries too. The wing-back has impressed for Inter Milan since joining from PSV Eindhoven in 2021, scoring seven goals in 65 games, and could represent a rotational option with Reece James, with Potter left short in that area. Leandro Trossard has also caught Chelsea’s eye (Image: Getty)Recent reports have suggested Chelsea could make another big-money move for a centre-back, with Atletico Madrid star Gimenez high on the agenda, and going up against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal should give him the perfect litmus test of whether he is good enough.The towering defender is equipped to deal with the physicality of the Premier League and, at 27, will be competing in his third World Cup with Uruguay. His experience will be vital to the Latin American nation and Chelsea will no doubt be keeping close tabs on his progress in Qatar.