Chelsea send scouts to watch brother of PSG superstar ahead of potential January move

Paris Saint Germain's Desire Doue. (REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)

Chelsea’s excellent run of form continued at the weekend as they brushed aside Nottingham Forest 3-0, sealing a third straight win in all competitions.

The result piled further pressure on Forest — who later parted ways with Ange Postecoglou — and marked another statement performance from Enzo Maresca’s young, resurgent side.

Goals from Pedro Neto, Josh Acheampong, and Reece James capped off a dominant display, but while things are looking up, Maresca remains keen to strengthen his squad ahead of the second half of the season.

With defensive injuries mounting and squad depth being tested, the Italian is already planning for reinforcements in January — and appears to have a target in mind.

According to a new report from CaughtOffside, Chelsea have set their sights on Strasbourg right-back Guéla Doué as a potential signing for the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old Ivorian, who is the older brother of Paris Saint-Germain star Désiré Doué, has made a strong start to the season in Ligue 1 — registering one goal and two assists in four games.

His performances have not gone unnoticed, with Chelsea scouts reportedly in attendance during Strasbourg’s thrilling 3-3 draw with PSG last Friday to monitor his progress firsthand.

Doué was heavily linked with a move to AC Milan during the summer, but the deal collapsed after multiple bids were rejected. Now, Chelsea are said to be closely tracking him as they weigh up options at right-back, despite already boasting Reece James, Malo Gusto, and Josh Acheampong in that position.

The French club — who are part of the BlueCo ownership network alongside Chelsea — are expected to demand a fee of around €30 million (£25m) for the defender, who only joined from Stade Rennais in 2024 for €6m.

Given the shared ownership structure, a deal could be relatively straightforward to finalise, especially if Maresca deems Doué a valuable addition to bolster Chelsea’s injury-hit defence heading into a crucial phase of the campaign.

Barnaby Lane is a highly experienced sports writer who has written for The Times, FourFourTwo Magazine, Sports Illustrated, TalkSPORT, and Business Insider.

Over the years, he's had the pleasure of interviewing some of the biggest names in world sport, including Usain Bolt, Rafael Nadal, Christian Pulisic, and more.