Chelsea may reportedly have to pay close to €40m to prise Alex Telles away from Porto as boss Frank Lampard considers a change at left-back.
The 27-year-old has continued to impress for the Portuguese giants this season, making 39 appearances across all competitions and contributing 10 goals and nine assists.
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As reported by The Sun, via Sport Witness who have translated an article in the paper edition of A Bola, it’s suggested that despite the fact that the Brazilian’s current contract will expire in 2021, Porto want to get as close to his €40m release clause as possible.
The contract situation surely weakens their position though, and especially if Telles can’t be persuaded to sign an extension before sealing an exit, receiving €40m for him this summer seems like a pipe dream.
Time will tell if that’s the case or not, but with Marcos Alonso tipped to leave Stamford Bridge this summer, the fee generated from his sale could be put towards Telles and reaching a compromise with Porto.
It looks as though there is still a lot to do for the transfer merry-go-round to materialise, but one thing that seems certain enough is that Chelsea will be monitoring their transfer target’s situation closely with a view of making their move at the end of the season.
Given their transfer ban last year and decision not to spend in January, this summer transfer window will be Lampard’s first opportunity to recruit and stamp his mark on the squad.
Hakim Ziyech’s move from Ajax has already been confirmed, and now time will tell if Telles follows him in through the entrance at Chelsea in the coming months.