Chelsea have reportedly been handed a real boost as transfer target and Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell has taken an important step towards an exit.
The 23-year-old has emerged as a key figure for the Foxes, establishing himself as the first-choice at left-back while also earning 11 caps for England.
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Since making his breakthrough at the King Power Stadium, he’s gone on to make 118 appearances for the club, and as well as offering defensive quality, he has chipped in with three goals and 12 assists too.
However, it now appears as though Leicester may find themselves in a scrap to fend off interest and keep him at the club as The Sun report, via the Transfer Window Podcast, that Chilwell has told boss Brendan Rodgers that he wants to join Chelsea and would be keen on a switch to their Premier League rivals if an offer is made.
It’s added that Chelsea have been linked with a whopping £85m move for him, with question marks perhaps being raised over that fee for a left-back especially given the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic which is expected to hit clubs hard and potentially limit their spending this summer.
That said, Chelsea have been quiet in the last two transfer windows for the most part aside from the permanent signing of Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech who will arrive ahead of next season, and so perhaps Lampard will be backed this summer regardless to try and improve his squad and bring in quality to complement the young players he has brought through this season.
Time will tell if a move materialises, but ultimately with Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri already available in that role, coupled with the versatility of Cesar Azpilicueta to play at left-back when required, it’s likely that one of Alonso or Palmieri, or perhaps both, will be offloaded to make space in the squad and to perhaps raise additional funds.