Chelsea Transfer Rumour: Blues Plot Move for French Winger

Chelsea are planning to table an offer for Newcastle United winger Hatem Ben Arfa at the end of the season.

The Frenchman was understood to be a target of the Blues before he made his transfer from Marseille to the Magpies permanent in early 2011 and, according to The Sun, the west London outfit have now reignited interest in the 25-year-old. Roman Abramovich's side are considering a £12m move in the summer to secure his services.

Ben Arfa, who is a regular in the France senior squad, has notched 10 goals and eight assists in 48 appearances for Newcastle so far. He is presently sidelined with a hamstring problem and is expected to remain unavailable till the New Year.

Toon boss Alan Pardew will be keen to keep the wide man but earlier admitted he may not be able to hold on to star players if big offers arrived. Ben Arfa's fellow midfielder, Cheick Tiote, has also been linked with a move to Chelsea, while striker Demba Ba, who has a £7m release clause, is a target of several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal.

Cahill Confident of Mounting Title Challenge

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill feels the Blues can still win the Premier League, following their 8-0 hammering of Aston Villa at the weekend.

The European champions remain 11 points behind league leaders Manchester United, with a game in hand, after the Red Devils played out a 1-1 draw at Swansea City. But Cahill is confident his side can close down the gap, if they maintain their form.

The England international told TalkSport:

"No doubt. Like you've seen [against Swansea, United have] slipped a couple of points. They are a very strong outfit and have been there many, many times, so it will be tough, but all we can do is try not to drop many points now and with performances like that we won't go far wrong. Obviously it is a big gap but we can only go out and get results," the England international told talkSport.

Chelsea travel to Norfolk on Boxing Day, to take on Norwich City.