Chelsea are reportedly leading Paris Saint-Germain in the race to sign FC Porto and Brazil left-back Alex Telles.
According to a report from Calciomercato, as relayed by French publication Le10Sport, Chelsea have taken a lead over French champions Paris Saint-Germain in the race to sign FC Porto defender Alex Telles.
Telles has been with Porto since 2016, having signed from Turkish giants Galatasaray. The 27-year-old has been a consistent performer year in year out for the Portuguese outfit, racking up 183 appearances, in which he has scored 21 goals and created 52 more.
The Brazilian has been in fine form during the 2019-20 campaign. So far, Telles has produced a return of 10 goals and 9 assists in 40 appearances across all competitions, which are highly impressive numbers for a full-back. This form has seen him emerge as a transfer target for both Chelsea and PSG.
It is no secret that Frank Lampard isn’t quite convinced with his options for the left-back slot. Both Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso have struggled to nail down the spot for themselves, with the manager being forced to use captain Cesar Azpilicueta on the left side of defence on a number of occasions this term.
There have been reports claiming that Emerson could be offloaded by Chelsea in the summer. Such a situation would warrant the addition of a new left-back. The Blues had prioritized the signing of Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell, but they have been discouraged by the Englishman’s price-tag. And Telles has emerged as a viable target for the West Londoners.
PSG are also keen on signing the 27-year-old Porto star. The French champions are set to lose Laywin Kurzawa this summer, with his contract with the club expiring. There has been little interest from Les Parisiens in handing the Frenchman a new deal. Instead, they want him to replace Telles in the summer.
However, their hopes of landing the one-time capped Brazilian international have been dealt with a blow. According to the aforementioned report, Chelsea have been working on the deal to sign Telles for longer and have recently held fresh talks with the player’s camp, which has seen them take a lead in the race for his transfer.
Telles’ contract with Porto expires in the summer of 2021. The Portuguese outfit are likely to demand a transfer fee of €40 million for the 27-year-old. With the report claiming that Chelsea are a step ahead of PSG in the Brazilian’s pursuit, it now remains to be seen if the Blues are able to seal the deal in the coming days.
