Chelsea have reportedly been told to cough up a transfer fee of €40 million if they are to sign Brazilian full-back Alex Telles from FC Porto.
As per a report from Portuguese outlet A Bola, as carried by Sport Witness, Chelsea will have to pay up a transfer fee of €40 million if they want to sign FC Porto’s star defender Alex Telles in the summer transfer window.
Telles, 27, has been with Porto since 2016 having signed from Turkish outfit Galatasaray and has gone on to become an integral member of the team. The Brazilian left-back has racked up 182 appearances for the Portuguese giants winning the league title once and the Portuguese Super Cup as well.
Telles is enjoying his finest campaign till date in 2019-20, having bagged nine ten goals and set up nine more in 39 matches across all competitions. However, with the Brazilian international’s contract set to expire in 2021, his future at Porto has been a subject of intense transfer speculation.
A recent report from A Bola (h/t The Sun) claimed that Telles has no intention of signing a new contract with Porto and has rejected a bumper contract offer. Hence, the Portuguese giants have decided to cash in on the 27-year-old in the upcoming summer in order to avoid losing him on a free transfer a year later.
Chelsea have been mentioned as the club showing the most interest in signing Telles from Porto, as per the report. The Blues are understood to have been keeping a close eye on the one-time capped Brazilian international for quite some time now and may launch a move in the summer, as manager Frank Lampard looks to boost up options in his defence.
Both of Chelsea’s current options at left-back, Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri, have been highly inconsistent this season, which has forced Lampard to use captain Cesar Azpilicueta on the left-side often.
While Alonso’s form has seen improvement in recent games, he had been linked with a return to Italy in January with Inter Milan showing an interest. Emerson also had been generating plenty of interest from Juventus in the winter transfer window and there is a good chance that either of them could be offloaded come summer.
This could open up a spot for Telles in the Chelsea squad. And now, the Blues have been told to meet his release clause of €40 million if they are to sign the Brazilian international. The report further adds that along with Chelsea, Leicester City too are monitoring the 27-year-old’s situation.
Given his all-round capabilities, Telles has the potential to be an excellent addition to this Chelsea side and could very well be an upgrade on the current options at Lampard’s disposal. But, it remains to be seen if the West Londoners, who have already confirmed the signing of Hakim Ziyech, launch a move for the Brazilian come summer.
