Chelsea have reportedly set their sights on Leicester City defender Ben Chilwell and will look to sign him this summer in a possible £50m deal.
The Blues have enjoyed a decent campaign thus far, as they remain in fourth place in the Premier League table and are still in the hunt for the Champions League.
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This all comes as Frank Lampard has given a number of his youngsters a chance to shine given their transfer ban over the summer, but after that was reduced to give them the opportunity to bring in reinforcements in January, it doesn’t look as though any will arrive with the deadline fast approaching.
However, Chelsea have plans for the summer already as The Sun report, via ESPN, that Chilwell is expected to be at the top of their shortlist with a £50m fee being touted to prise him away from the King Power Stadium.
Given Lampard already has Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri at his disposal in that role, coupled with Cesar Azpilicueta filling in at times on the left, it’s arguably fair to say that Chelsea will have to clear that area of the squad out first in order to make space for Chilwell.
Time will tell if the pieces fall into place for that to happen, but based on the report above, it certainly sounds as though they will seriously pursue the England international this summer.
Chilwell has continued to impress for the Foxes this season, as he has played a key role in their pursuit of a top-four finish. In turn, Brendan Rodgers will no doubt hope that they can keep their best players and continue to build for the future.
That said, a switch to Chelsea may be difficult for Chilwell to ignore, and so it will be interesting to see whether or not he is fully committed to Leicester in the long-term, or if he will be keen to make the move to west London this summer if an official bid is lodged by the Blues.