Chelsea's January wishlist: Antonio Conte targets Mouctar Diakhaby, Ross Barkley, Alex Sandro, Lucas Moura and Christian Benteke to boost his squad

Antonio Conte has sounded Chelsea's transfer chiefs a winter warning: stay stagnant in January and risk being left in the dust by Manchester City.

The Premier League champions have eyes on a number of January targets and Conte is keen to strengthen after being left disappointed by Chelsea's summer business.


Here, Sportsmail looks at five of the players Chelsea are looking at to turn them into serious contenders in January.

Mouctar Diakhaby - Lyon

Towering French defender Daikhaby has attracted Chelsea's eyes with a string of impressive performances at Lyon coupled with the 20-year-old's notable potential to grow and improve.

Manchester City have also scouted Daikhaby, who Lyon would expect a fee in excess of £30million for, who has played his club's last three games after being in and out of the side earlier in the season.

Ross Barkley - Everton

Barkley may not have played since Chelsea's failed deadline-day swoop for him back in August but a falling price tag and an impending return to fitness have Chelsea continuing to keep an eye on him.

The 23-year-old midfielder was due to cost £35m in the summer but Everton would cash in at a lower price now with his contract expiring at the end of the season.

Alex Sandro - Juventus

Chelsea are refusing to give up on Sandro, who would be key in helping out in their problematic left wing-back role where Marcos Alonso is the only natural option.

But the Brazilian defender is cup-tied in the Champions League and his form has dipped. New contract talks in Italy are stalling but it would take a serious swing for Chelsea to convince Juventus to sell up mid-season.

Lucas Moura - Paris Saint-Germain

The big-money arrivals of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have Paris Saint-Germain under pressure to recoup some cash and Brazilian winger Lucas has played just 71 minutes this season - all as a substitute.

He has been linked with a move away at a price of around £27m and would give Chelsea more options but Conte's priorities for strengthening may lie elsewhere.

Christian Benteke - Crystal Palace

Chelsea need another striker with Michy Batshuayi still untrusted and Alvaro Morata facing a huge workload as the season rumbles on. Benteke could be an option.

The Belgium centre forward has interest from China but ideally wants to stay in England with the World Cup coming up in the summer. Palace would be reluctant to sell unless it can fund serious other strengthening.