Chelsea have reportedly received a major blow in their pursuit of Alex Sandro as the defender is close to signing a new contract with Juventus.
According to a report by The Sun, recently-crowned Premier League champions Chelsea are set to miss out on Alex Sandro as the defender is poised to sign a new contract with Juventus. The Italian champions will be keen to hold on to Sandro after the shock transfer of Dani Alves to Paris Saint-Germain.
The current transfer window has been a frustrating one for Chelsea manager Antonio Conte since he has failed to do anything extraordinary. The £40 million arrival of Monaco’s Tiemoue Bakayoko was, perhaps, the only good deal so far.
The fact that he missed out on signing Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United is likely to make matters worse. Now, with Sandro ready to snub the Blues, Conte will need to quickly have a back-up plan since the Brazilian could’ve potentially been a strong signing at left wing-back.
The 26-year-old joined Juventus in a £22 million deal back in August 2015. He has enjoyed a breathtaking spell in Turin so far and established himself as their first-choice left-back after the departure of Patrice Evra.
Sandro also played a key role in guiding his team to the Champions League final this past season. Although the club were willing to listen to offers for him at first, it seems to be water under the bridge now since they are set to retain him and sign a new contract.
Had the deal gone through, Chelsea could have greatly benefited. Sandro has experience of playing as a wing-back as well as a traditional full-back. Conte deployed a 3-4-3 en route to the Premier League title this past season, and is not likely to change his system so Sandro could’ve slotted in seamlessly.
Additionally, the Brazilian is still just 26 years old and can easily offer football at the top level for at least the next seven to eight years. Chelsea need a player like that, somebody who can play top-class football for a while. It was believed that they could lure him with a better pay package but right now, Juve appear to be in the front seat.
