Cesc Fabregas is reportedly pushing for a move away from Chelsea following an awful start to the 2015-16 campaign.

Corriere dello Sport (h/t Jamie Sanderson of Metro) claimed Inter Milan and Juventus are willing to move for the Spain international as early as January but that a summer departure is looking more likely. As Sanderson wrote, there have been reports surfacing suggesting new Blues boss Guus Hiddink will drop Fabregas.

Here’s a look at the story, via 101 Great Goals, which was on the front page of the Italian newspaper:

The 2015-16 campaign has seen the Chelsea midfielder suffer a major fall from grace, culminating in his withdrawal at half-time during the recent 2-2 draw with Watford.

As reported by Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, after being hauled off by Hiddink against the Hornets, the former Barcelona man has not been included in the squad for Monday’s showdown with Manchester United at Old Trafford. It’s noted in the piece that “Chelsea sources” suggest Fabregas is ill.

However, it’ll be of little surprise if Hiddink has decided to remove the 28-year-old from the firing line after failing to find any form this season. As noted by Squawka earlier in December, Fabregas’ usually impeccable passing radar has been badly off in the Premier League during 2015-16:

The midfielder has also been one of a selection of Chelsea players targeted by fans with jeers in the wake of Jose Mourinho’s departure on Dec. 17.

Despite expressing his disappointment at the Portuguese’s dismissal on social media, many of the Stamford Bridge faithful clearly feel as though the Spain star could have done more to help turn things around for the former boss. During the games against Watford and Sunderland, the Blues faithful made their feelings toward their No. 4 known.

As Bleacher Report’s Garry Hayes noted as Fabregas came off during the Dec. 19 clash with Sunderland, a fair portion of the crowd have been getting on the Spaniard’s back:

Reports also surfaced prior to Christmas that Fabregas had lost his temper in training after being nutmegged by youth-team player Charly Musonda, going in hard on the youngster not long afterward. 

It certainly seems all is not well for the playmaker, and his slump in form has been made all the more disappointing by the stellar manner in which he began his Chelsea career. In the early stages of the 2014-15 season, Fabregas was the creative crux of a wonderful Blues team; now it seems as though he is very much dispensable.

Having burst onto the scene at a very young age at Arsenal, Fabregas has a lot of miles on the clock for a player who should be in the peak years of his career. The Premier League has passed him by at express pace in 2015, so a move to a slower, more technical division such as Serie A may be ideal for the Catalan if he is to remain a force for an established elite side.

 

Jackson Martinez Swap Rumours Denied

The agent of Jackson Martinez has denied reports suggesting his client could leave Atletico Madrid for Chelsea with Diego Costa potentially heading back to the Spanish capital as part of the deal.

“Jackson wants to be a success at Atletico, and he will be, but it’s the club that decides his future,” said his agent, Henrique Pompeo, per Jorge Garcia of AS. “I can’t say it’s a lie, this is football and nobody knows what the future holds, what I can say is that Jackson isn’t a player who leaves a club unless it’s through the front door.”

It’s been a tough season for the rumbustious Costa, who has struggled to find the kind of form that made him one of the most feared forwards in European football last term.

However, as we can see here, courtesy of Squawka, there were some signs in the Blues’ draw with Watford that Costa was starting to rediscover his best again:

Martinez has endured a difficult spell himself since moving from Porto to Atletico in the summer. The Colombian seemed an ideal fit for Diego Simeone’s side but hasn’t been able to strike up an understanding with Antoine Griezmann in attack, scoring just two goals in La Liga so far this season.

Still, it’d be a big surprise to see Atletico give up on a player they spent €35 million on just a few months ago. Having Costa back would surely delight the fans given his influence during the 2013-14 title-winning season. However, Martinez still has time to make a big impact at the Vicente Calderon and, as is clear by the aforementioned quotes, is intent on doing so.

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