Blues are still trying to find the right man who can fill Cesc Fabregas’s boots after being left out in the cold when preferred target Leandro Peredes signed for Paris Saint-Germain.
A deal for Nicollo Barella is long way off, and may not materialise until the summer.
Still, Chelsea have not stop hunting and Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure had been involved in the mix.
Newspaper reports floated talks about Chelsea currently interested in signing the 26-year-old as a replacement for the Spaniard.
However, Watford has rubbished claims that they have yet to receive any interest from the FA Cup holders about Doucoure and has refers to moots admitting so as false.
A spokesperson for the club told Sky News that no inquiries have been made so far concerning Doucoure and no player will exit the club.
“It is new because it is another club but it is the same news as the last days and the last weeks. I don’t know anything new about that,” Watford head coach Gracia said about the midfielder, who has missed the team’s last three matches through injury.
“In this moment I am concerned about Doucoure’s evolution because I want him to recover as soon as possible because he is an important player for us.”
Interests from French champions Ligue One giants Paris Saint-Germain have poured in for the player also, forcing Doucoure to drop a request with the club’s hierarchy about plying his trade in France, in search of Champions League football.
Doucoure admitted he was “flattered” when he got the caught the whiff of information about Paris Saint-Germain interest in his services.