Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly made a last-gasp approach over a potential deal to sign Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah on loan.
According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham Hotspur have emerged as late contenders in the race to sign Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah and have approached the Blues to ask about the possibility of a loan deal before the summer transfer window slams shut.
Spurs have been interested in signing a central defender throughout the transfer window. They snapped up Micky van de Ven early on, but after a poor season at the back last term, conceding 63 Premier League goals, it’s no wonder Ange Postecoglou wants more cover for his first-choice central defensive pairing of Van de Ven and Cristian Romero.
Perr Schuurs, Edmond Tapsoba, and Clement Lenglet have all been linked with a move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Lilywhites were trying to lure Bournemouth centre-back Lloyd Kelly for £20 million earlier in the deadline day but were told their offer was far below the Cherries’ valuation and have since dropped their interest.
They have now shifted their focus to rival Chelsea’s Chalobah. Indeed, Fabrizio Romano reports they have approached the Blues to “ask” about a potential loan. The Italian journalist adds that it will be difficult due to the sides being rivals and because of the structure of any potential deal.
Nottingham Forest are also said to be interested in taking the 24-year-old on board. It was reported that the Tricky Trees had sent a £25 million bid to the Blues when they were competing with Bayern Munich for his signature.
At the time, it was said the centre-back only wanted to join Bayern, but the German transfer window has closed a fair few hours back, and no move has materialised, leaving the defender in a state of limbo with the deadline fast approaching.
Romano has now denied the reports of Forest’s bid, claiming there are “no negotiations ongoing with Forest” at this stage. And if that is the case, Tottenham might be the only side in the mix for Chalobah up until the end of the window.
While Romano says it will be tough for them to get the deal over the line, Chelsea sold higher-profile players to rivals in Arsenal, Newcastle, and Manchester City earlier in the window, so that may not be a huge concern if Spurs can offer a lucrative proposal. Being the only suitor actively pursuing the defender gives them the best chance of sealing the deal.
With Bayern out of the picture, there’s a chance Chalobah views Tottenham as his preferred landing spot. At Chelsea, there are four centre-backs ahead of him in the pecking order following the summer arrival of Axel Disasi from AS Monaco, and that becomes five when Wesley Fofana is back from injury.
As such, the 24-year-old might consider Spurs as the better option for him to get more gametime, he would still need Chelsea to accept an offer from Tottenham, which remains to be seen with barely an hour left before the window slams shut.
