Chelsea reportedly tried their luck with a late move for Everton midfielder James Garner, though they were told he was not for sale.

The Toffees were not keen on losing such an important player right at the end of the transfer window, with the Blues considering him as an option on Deadline Day.

It proved to be a frustrating end to the summer for Chelsea, who sold Enzo Fernandez to Manchester City without bringing in a replacement.

According to talkSPORT, Garner was someone CFC looked into signing for around £65m, and he surely could have done a decent job of filling Fernandez’s place in Xabi Alonso’s squad.

James Garner was ‘mystery’ Chelsea transfer target

The report from talkSPORT acknowledges that there was a bit of secrecy about this move, with Garner described as being the ‘mystery’ player Chelsea were targeting.

They add that Alonso was keen on the former Manchester United youngster as he can operate as a full-back as well as in midfield.

Chelsea fans will be disappointed that this didn’t work out, though it would also perhaps have been a bit of a panic buy, and there’s an argument that they could do better to wait and weigh up their options for January.

Everton’s James Garner in action vs Bournemouth (Photo by Alex Burstow/Getty Images)

Who else could Chelsea sign in midfield?

Chelsea notably also missed out on Lamine Camara as Monaco cancelled the deal late on last night.

We’ve since been informed that Chelsea look unlikely to do business with Monaco again, meaning Camara might not be a realistic target for the future.

Our understanding is that Atletico Madrid’s Pablo Barrios is a top target for Chelsea for January, though it remains to be seen how realistic that is as his club have already fought off interest in him in recent months.

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