Chelsea will reportedly look to sign 27-year-old English defender Adam Webster from Brighton & Hove Albion if they fail to land Wesley Fofana.
According to a report by Daily Mail, Adam Webster is the subject of interest from Chelsea over a possible move in the ongoing transfer window. The west London club will pursue the 27-year-old Brighton & Hove Albion defender if they fail to secure the services of Wesley Fofana this summer.
Adam Webster spent most of his formative years with Portsmouth after facing rejections from a few clubs, including Chelsea. The English defender graduated from Pompey’s academy nearly a decade ago and made gradual progress at Fratton Park. He continued going from strength to strength during stints with Ipswich Town and Bristol City before reaching the Premier League by joining Brighton & Hove Albion.
The 27-year-old moved to the Amex Stadium three years ago and has become a mainstay at the back for the Seagulls. Webster has turned out nearly 100 times while chipping in with seven goals thus far for Brighton. And his progress has not gone unnoticed, with Chelsea keeping tabs on him.
As iterated earlier, Chelsea rejected Webster during his formative years, and they have returned to possibly sign him a decade and a half later. And the interest in the English defender comes in the wake of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen’s departures as free agents at the onset of the summer transfer window.
The Blues have only signed Kalidou Koulibaly to replace Rudiger and Christensen while loaning Malang Sarr to AS Monaco. In addition, recent reports claim that Trevoh Chalobah could leave Chelsea on loan amid interest from Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, and Inter Milan. Chelsea will thus need to bring in at least one more centre-back, with Wesley Fofana their priority target.
The Blues have had a couple of bids rejected, but Fofana is reportedly pushing to move to Stamford Bridge. But with Fofana’s move not set in stone, Chelsea will be in good stead by laying down a contingency plan for the French defender, with Webster emerging as a viable alternative for the west London club.
The 27-year-old is well established in the Premier League and can hit the ground running for Chelsea. But Chelsea will still hope to secure the services of Fofana, who has a higher ceiling and can offer a decade of service to the Blues. However, it will be interesting to see if Webster becomes a top target for the west Londoners in the coming days.