Arsenal have reportedly valued Calum Chambers at £28 million, following an interest in the defender from Leicester City.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Arsenal have slapped a £28 million price tag on defender Calum Chambers, following interest from Leicester City ahead of deadline day. The valuation seems to be rather shocking for the young defender, who was signed for a little more than half of that amount.
Calum Chambers joined Arsenal back in the summer of 2014 from Southampton in a £16 million deal. Although he proved to be a strong player for the Saints, he failed to make a spot for himself in the Gunners squad. Things were clearly going downhill for the Englishman as he started just 35 games in his first two campaigns combined at the Emirates.
He did spend last year on loan at Middlesbrough and enjoyed a decent run with the club. Chambers wasted no time in becoming a regular in their first-team setup and despite the club being relegated to the Championship, the defender was impressive with his solid performances at the back.
It seems quite evident that Chambers cannot hope to secure a first-team place at Arsenal. Players like Laurent Koscielny, Shkodran Mustafi, Gabriel and Per Mertesacker will be way ahead of him in terms of the pecking order. Meanwhile, the way Rob Holding performed in the 2016/17 will likely ensure that Chambers is bereft of a spot.
Considering their history with such players, Arsenal might be keen on sending the player on a loan to another club for this season. However, it might also seem silly to not take advantage of the highly-inflated transfer window and cash in on a promising youngster like Chambers.
Although Chambers was linked to Everton before, it now seems like he could be on his way to the King Power Stadium. The Foxes are understood to be ardent admirers of the English youngster. Their need for a quality defender will only be accentuated by their desire to find able long-term replacements for the likes of Wes Morgan and Robert Huth.
Both players are in their mid-thirties and cannot prove to be a long-term viable option for the club. Even though they were key aspects of Leicester’s fairytale season, the club needs to find a defender who can learn from them and possibly one day, take over their role.
Craig Shakespeare has already managed to add Harry Maguire to his defensive ranks this summer, and has identified Chambers as a potential recruit. If the deal goes through, it can prove to be a better option for Chambers, considering his need to clock regular minutes on field.