Is Ross Barkley cup-tied? Why can’t the former Everton midfielder make Chelsea debut against Norwich?

ROSS BARKLEY will not make his Chelsea debut against Norwich, even though boss Antonio Conte was desperate to include him in the starting eleven.

The Blues signed the midfielder, 24, for £15million on Friday January 5.

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But Chelsea officially bagged Barkley AFTER the 12pm deadline for FA Cup third-round fixtures.

And that means he is ineligible for Wednesday night's replay at Stamford Bridge.

The club are keen to give Barkley another run-out and are looking into arranging a second behind-closed-doors friendly for him.

And the England international could then make his first-team debut in the Premier League clash at Brighton, which kicks off at 12.30pm on Saturday.

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Meanwhile, Merseyside Police have found no evidence of wrongdoing in Barkley's transfer from Everton.

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson wrote to the Force, the Football Association and Premier League requesting an investigation into the move.

But Press Association Sport report no offences have been identified by Merseyside Police.

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However, it is understood Assistant Chief Constable Serena Kennedy has written to the FA and Premier League inviting them to inform them should they choose to hold their own investigations and discover any evidence.

Anderson, a lifelong Everton fan, argued the sale of Barkley for the £20mless than what had been agreed in August, when the player pulled out of a move at the last minute, "at best represents a very poor deal for Everton Football Club".

He added: "At worst, it could be seen as a deliberate attempt to drive down a player's value in the transfer market so as to benefit the player, his agent and the buying club."

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Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas are out of Blues FA Cup third-round replay with Norwich.

Defender Cahill and midfielder Fabregas have hamstring injuries, but Blues boss Antonio Conte is likely to rotate his options anyway.

Michy Batshuayi and David Luiz are likely to come into the side.