Chelsea have reportedly stepped up their pursuit of Leicester City full-back Ben Chilwell after losing out to PSG in the race for Alex Telles.
According to a report from The Sun, Chelsea are set to ramp up their efforts to sign Leicester City star Ben Chilwell in the summer after facing defeat in their pursuit of Alex Telles.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is keen on bringing in a new left-back in the summer transfer window, after having been left unimpressed by his current options. Neither Marcos Alonso nor Emerson Palmieri have done enough to nail down the left-back spot in the Blues’ starting XI.
More often than not, Lampard has opted to use Cesar Azpilicueta ahead of the duo on the left-side of the defence. With one of Alonso or Emerson likely to be offloaded in the summer transfer window, Lampard is intent on securing the signing of a new left-back.
Both Alex Telles and Ben Chilwell had emerged as potential targets for the club. However, the Blues had decided to prioritize the Brazilian instead of the Leicester City man, as he is valued at £22 million. In comparison, the Foxes are understood to be demanding £60 million for Chilwell.
However, as per reports in Brazil (h/t The Sun), Chelsea have suffered a major blow in their pursuit of Telles. The FC Porto left-back is understood to be closing in a summer move to PSG, who are set to lose Layvin Kurzawa to Arsenal. In light of this development, the Blues will turn their focus back towards Chilwell and prioritise the signing of the Englishman.
Chilwell has been in fine form in the 2019-20 season. The 23-year-old has featured 28 times across all competitions for Brendan Rodgers’ side this season, contributing with two goals and four assists in the process. The first-choice left-back for the England national team as well, Chilwell has eleven caps for the Three Lions so far.
Chilwell still has four years left on his current contract with Leicester. And given the Foxes’ reluctance to lose their academy graduate, Chelsea will have to pay the big bucks, at least in excess of £50 million, in order to secure his signature.
With Telles reportedly heading to Paris, it becomes important for Chelsea to ensure that they don’t miss out on the signing of Chilwell too. However, with the finances being negatively impacted by the coronavirus crisis, it remains to be seen if the West Londoners are willing to splash a large amount of money to sign the 23-year-old.
