Chelsea are believed to be extremely fond of a Premier League defender and are seriously eyeing a move for him, amid claims the player is now likely to quit his current side, as Enzo Maresca and co look to take advantage.
Chelsea looking to sign new defenders for Maresca
The Italian has enjoyed a promising start to life at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea currently fourth in the table and well in contention for a Champions League qualifying place as things stand.
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Chelsea prepared to offer Chalobah in talks to sign perfect £70m defender
The Englishman could be used as a makeweight after his Crystal Palace loan.
Only Tottenham and Man City have scored more goals than the Blues, who’ve lost just twice in 10 games so far, both coming against elite opposition.
Chelsea are also unlucky not to have more wins on the board, given their thoroughly entertaining draws against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace could’ve ended in comfortable wins for Maresca considering the amount of chances they created in those games.
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Chelsea’s next Premier League fixtures |
Date |
|---|---|
|
Arsenal (home) |
November 10 |
|
Leicester City (home) |
November 23 |
|
Aston Villa (home) |
December 1 |
|
Southampton (away) |
December 4 |
|
Tottenham (home) |
December 8 |
The football on display has been very encouraging at times as well, with Pep Guardiola’s former understudy instilling a brand of attack-minded, fluid and entertaining football at Stamford Bridge.
However, there are gaps in the squad that BlueCo are looking to shore up in the coming transfer windows. Chelsea are targeting a new centre-back amid the uncertainty surrounding Benoit Badiashile, who has played just over half an hour in the Premier League so far and even failed to make a few matchday squads.
The west Londoners are looking to South America in search of quality options in that position, according to reliable Chelsea journalist Simon Phillips in a recent transfer update.
Chelsea’s centre-back shortlist apparently includes Palmeiras starlet Vitor Reis, Zenit St. Petersburg’s Robert Renin, Vitao of Internacional, PSG ace Lucas Beraldo and Nottingham Forest sensation Murillo.
There are even suggestions that Chelsea could offer Trevoh Chalobah in a swap deal for Murillo, with the Cobham academy graduate set to return to the club following his loan spell at Crystal Palace as things stand.
Chelsea hold “major” interest in Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri
There is also the matter of potentially replacing left-back Ben Chilwell, who has been widely tipped to depart by many sections of the press.
It is believed Chelsea are considering a bid for Alex Grimaldo of Bayer Leverkusen in this respect, and they have their eyes firmly on another exciting full-back option in Wolves defender Rayan Ait-Nouri.
The £38 million rated left-back has stood out as one of Wolves’ best performers in recent times, with Ait-Nouri now attracting “major interest” from Chelsea as a result. That is according to Molineux News, who also state that the Algerian is now “likely” to leave Wolves next summer.
With his future in doubt, it appears Chelsea are monitoring the situation very closely, and could look to tempt Ait-Nouri with the prospect of competing in Europe and challenging for silverware in the coming seasons. However, they’re not alone in their admiration, with Liverpool also in the race to sign the player who O’Neil dubbed an “incredible talent“.