Chelsea have now shifted their attention to Porto full-back Alex Telles with their summer pursuit of Alex Sandro under threat by Paris Saint-Germain.
According to The Sun, Chelsea have now shifted their attention to FC Porto full-back Alex Telles after their pursuit of Alex Sandro has come under heavy threat. Paris Saint-Germain is aiming to hijack Chelsea’s pursuit of the Juventus superstar, which has compelled the Blues to look elsewhere.
Chelsea were reported to have already agreed a record £60 million deal to sign Alex Sandro from Juventus. However, Paris Saint-Germain have arrived late and are eyeing a hijack of the Blues’ deal for the Brazilian full-back.
Antonio Conte & co. have thus, shifted attention to Telles and have tabled a £22 million bid to FC Porto in lieu for the player’s services.
Chelsea have made a £22m bid for Porto defender Alex Telles. (Daily Express) #CFC pic.twitter.com/mSVNboVWDs
— Transfer Swoop (@SwoopTransfer) June 30, 2017
Alex Telles has flown under the radar for a while now. Arriving in Europe at Galatasaray as a youngster from Gremio, the player improved each year and took one forward step at a time, including a loan move to Inter, before ending up at FC Porto last summer.
And his maiden season in Portugal has been a huge success, with 8 assists and a goal in 32 Liga NOS appearances while being equally immersive and influential in the club’s European campaign. The player, though, could be a better option for Chelsea than Alex Sandro.
Telles has the ability to play at every position on the left side of the field, like Alex Sandro, and has an almost identical skill-set while having a lower asking price compared to his fellow countryman. The 24-year-old, though, does not have the same big-club experience as Alex Sandro.
Telles, though, is keen to join Chelsea and has his eyes set on a move to the illustrious Premier League. However, Telles is a bit more attack-minded than Sandro, which may compromise the defensive solidity of the formation for Conte.
Conte, though, is looking at the player as an alternate to Marcos Alonso, who is a better defensive-minded option, which will enable him to choose based on situation. The priority, however, remains Alex Sandro and the bid for Telles is thought to be a contingency in case PSG do end up successful in their endeavours.
Also, Telles has shown improvement in his defensive abilities this past season, with 17 clean sheets to his name as part of the back four. And, at 24, there may be room for further improvement as well. It will be interesting to see how this pans out and which Brazilian ends up heading to the Stamford Bridge.