It’s always a good idea to have a back up plan in case things go wrong, while it’s also handy to have some names to leak to the press if negotiations aren’t going well.
Chelsea do have Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri as their contracted options at left back for next season, but neither have impressed and a replacement could take them to the next level.
A report from Goal has indicated that Ben Chilwell is the absolute priority here, but they do have a few alternatives if needed.
It’s suggested that the latest news with Chilwell is that Leicester don’t want to sell, but Chelsea are confident that they can change that and will be putting all their efforts into signing him as a result.
READ MORE: Chelsea may have to settle for only one of their two main summer targets for financial reasons
That’s reflected in their claim that they have lined up three alternatives for that position, but they haven’t been contacted yet.
The alternative options are Porto’s Alex Telles, Ajax’s Nicholas Tagliafico and Marc Cucurella of Getafe, but they would all bring very different styles.
Telles is fairly similar to Marcos Alonso in that he’s good on the ball, handy from set pieces and likes to get forward, but isn’t solid in defence.
Tagliafico is the total opposite of that where he plays with an aggressive “defend first” attitude and that could be a welcome addition to the Chelsea defence, but his ability on the ball is less impressive.
Cucurella is somewhere in between, he’s got plenty of energy and looks capable in defence and attack, but you wouldn’t say he’s outstanding at either.
Clearly the plan is to go after Ben Chilwell with everything that they have, but it will be interesting to see what option they take if that falls through.