Chelsea manager reportedly Frank Lampard stepped in to reject an approach from Everton for Kurt Zouma in the summer transfer window.
Despite the arrival of Thiago Silva on a free transfer, Zouma has been a mainstay in Chelsea’s defence this campaign.
The France international has started four of Chelsea’s five Premier League matches, and has scored two goals in the process.
And according to The Athletic, an enquiry from Everton on Kurt Zouma was blocked by the blues manager Lampard. They are also beleived to have asked about Antonio Rudiger, but were put off by Chelsea’s demands.
The German defender has not yet featured yet this campaign, and was close to sealing a transfer away from the club in the summer window.
Chelsea’s terms to send Rudiger out on a season-long loan included a £5m loan fee and for his wages – it is reported to be around £150,000 per week – which is paid out in full.
While addressing his situation in the summer, Rudiger told The Athletic last week: ‘The club didn’t tell me that it was absolutely necessary for me to find a new club and that they definitely didn’t have me in their plans for the next few months.
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‘I also turned down one or two options myself. I wasn’t prepared to pack it all in simply because I had been left out a few times. I enjoy living in London and like being at Chelsea.
‘Naturally, I looked at a couple of options in the two weeks before the end of the transfer window. There was a possibility of a loan deal, in order for me to get more game time. Due to many different reasons and the shortage of time, nothing materialised in the end.’
