James Tarkowski could be set for Chelsea as Everton transfer ‘whisper’ revealed

Everton captain James Tarkowski could be a transfer target for Chelsea.

The 33-year-old has been a key figure for David Moyes' side so far this season.

He was appointed as full-time captain in the summer and he has impressed again in the Premier League.

In fact, he is the highest-rated centre-back in the division among players to have played five matches, with a score of 7.67 on WhoScored.

Therefore, it would not be a surprise if other clubs were possibly chasing the veteran.

Xabi Alonso's Chelsea have now been touted as a potential destination.

What is the latest on Chelsea and James Tarkowski?

Chelsea are believed to be looking for a physical centre-back, who is also a leader, and the Blues star would be just that.

Simon Phillips, a Chelsea podcaster with over 497,000 followers on X, revealed what he has heard on potential interest in Tarkowski.

Taking to his YouTube channel on 12 October, he said: “James Tarkowski from Everton would definitely tick a lot of those boxes in terms of the experience and other bits and pieces.

“Now, you might say why am I talking about Tarkowski? Basically I’ve had his name mentioned to me, last week actually.

“I haven’t put anything out on it yet and I’ve been trying to clarify the information and if there’s actually anything to it.

“I’ve been checking in on it and had his name mentioned to me in a sense that the source said ‘You might want to look into this, there could be something there’.

“But the source was not telling me that Chelsea are interested in Tarkowski, they were telling me you might want to research this.

“That’s what I’m doing right now, I’m trying to find out about it, if there’s anything to it, it’s a whisper, a very small whisper.”

Why Everton will be in no rush to sell their captain

Everton have leverage when it comes to their skipper, as he is contracted until the summer of 2028, so they are not obliged to sell or anything.

He signed a new deal in October 2025, which is worth £135,000-per-week, according to estimates from Valuball.

The concern may be that the Stamford Bridge side could pay over the odds and give him more money than that, however, Tarkowski does not seem in a rush to leave.

He spoke about the Friedkin Group putting the Toffees up for sale after the Hull City clash, and waxed lyrical about the size of the club and the playing squad at their disposal.

Surely, any bid that could come if Alonso's side firm up their interest in the winter transfer window, would be dismissed out of hand by the Blues anyway.

Maybe if a huge offer came in that stance could change, given the player's age and lack of resale value, but it would have been a ridiculous one for the Blues to even consider it.

However, right now, it seems like a long shot, with how important he has been to the L3 outfit and the fact that he has the armband.